Councils and the law

Local authorities and the law of the land

Regulatory powers
Local authorities can make and enforce bylaws to manage a whole range of local issues and situations.

National laws and their impact
Parliament makes the laws that constrain and empower councils.

Resource management
Sustainable management of natural and physical resources is required, guided and empowered by the Resource Management Act.

Keeping it clean and green

The Building Act
Local government administer the Act that sets the standards for our homes and workplaces.

Checks and balances for local government
Six Officers of Parliament also have a local government role.

Local authorities and the law of the land

Local authorities must follow the laws of the land that guide us all. Specific laws that guide local authorities include the Local Government Act 2002, earlier local government law that may not have been fully repealed, the Resource Management Act 1991 and the laws that guide elections, meetings, and so forth.

In turn, local authorities can – under delegation from central government – set regulations to implement legislation. Those regulations can be tailored to meet local needs, and can be enforced (if necessary) through the courts.

Local and national law intermesh in many different activities of local government. The will of Parliament will be reflected in its laws for economic, social, environmental, cultural and other affairs, and they may have direct or indirect implications for local government. Local government and central government are both encouraged to foster partnerships between them – and the law may assist different parties as they seek to work out how to work together.