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Councils from the centre
ACT
Greens
Labour
National
NZ First
Progressive
United Future
Central government and local government are two parts of a whole. Central government needs local government to deliver services to the community; and local government operates under legislation from central government.
The Local Government Act 2002 (LGA 2002) is the principal current legislation, but up and down the country, and in Parliament too, there is discussion. Some people feel that certain functions would be better performed by private enterprise; some would argue for more direct involvement of central government, others for less. Perhaps we can never expect to adjust the balance so as to satisfy everybody – even for a short time. But that is democracy.
Given the potential impact of even small parties in our MMP Parliament, the opinions of spokespeople from the political parties may indicate the future direction of this legislation, and therefore of local government itself.
ACT
LGA 2002 was a movement from representative democracy (a small number of people elected to represent the majority and make the decisions) to participatory democracy (everyone having the opportunity to get involved with the decision-making). Ken Shirley, ACT Party spokesperson for local government and a member of the Local Government and Environment Committee of Parliament, says that the problem is that this involves continual consultation – which he believes debases democracy. “It is creating inertia. Under representative democracy, citizens elect their councillors and expect them to make the decisions,” he says.
Function should come before form in deciding local government arrangements for New Zealand, Ken Shirley says. Function before form is a basic principle of business and logic. He believes that New Zealand has never really made clear what the functions of local government should be, and what the boundaries should be with central government. “What are the core functions of local government?” Ken Shirley says: “The power of general competence was a mistake.” The ACT Party favours generally less intrusive government. “Local government does too much," says Ken Shirley. He believes that it does things citizens should do for themselves or that business could do.
Greens
Greens co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons chairs Parliament’s Local Government and Environment Committee. This committee considers legislation that affects local government, and has representation from most parties. The committee invites submissions from the public on legislation.
Jeanette Fitzsimons acknowledges that local government has more influence over our quality of life than Parliament does. “It decides whether you will have drinkable water, good public transport, a lively city environment, protection from floods and earthquakes, a coastline protected from urban sprawl.” The Greens see it as vital to involve and inform the public in key decisions. “As a result of our contribution to the new Local Government Act, councils must now consult early on projects – not when all the decisions are made and it is too late to take public views into account,” she says.
Labour
Because local government touches everyone's lives, it is important that the legislation underpinning it is modern, principled and effective, and that it enhances local decision-making. The Local Government Act 2002 is about strengthening local democracy. It gives elected representatives the flexibility they need to get on with the job and meet the ever-changing demands of their communities. At the same time, it requires councils to be more transparent, and provides better opportunities for communities to influence decision-making.
Chris Carter says engagement between central and local government is critical. The Local Government Forum, which Prime Minister Helen Clark chairs every six months, is vitally important in delivering this objective. Carter says local government, be they Labour supporters or not, view this commitment to engagement with some measure of amazement. “It represents a philosophic shift. This is an activist government which recognised when it came to power that it needed to carry local government with it,” Carter says.
National
If National forms a government soon, and if Dr Smith becomes Minister
of Local Government, he will push for clearer lines of accountability
between the roles of Parliament and councils.
“ If you are concerned about questions of water, libraries, footpaths,
or whether the local sports ground is big enough, you should talk to the local
mayor or councillors,” he says. “If you are worried about the number
of police, funding for the local school, waiting lists at the local hospital,
effectiveness of the courts, immigration rules, or the adequacy of welfare payments,
you should see members of Parliament.”
LGA 2002 makes such distinctions confused and muddled, he says. “What is done in the name of partnership and consultation ends up looking like passing the buck. LGA 2002 needs to be rewritten to make plain what councils are responsible for, and not responsible for, so citizens and ratepayers know who to hold accountable.” The National Party, for example, believes local councils should be responsible for provision of water, although it does not agree with the current law saying councils cannot contract out the management of that water supply.
NZ First
Jim Peters, NZ First spokesperson for local government, whose experience includes service on Northland Regional Council, says a local government background used to be a typical route to national politics. “The pattern has now reversed. About a dozen former MPs are now regional and city councillors.” Jim Peters says local government is ‘lightly regarded’ by many members of parliament. “Parliament’s task is to legislate – it needs to be done with understanding of the purpose and differences in local government,” he says. Jim Peters cites Auckland's transport system as an example of a failure by central government to give guidance and encouragement to local government. “Key elements missing from the major transport package for Auckland were rail, and perhaps a changed role for Transit and Transfund.”
Progressive
Progressive Party leader Jim Anderton pressed for regional economic development to be a ministerial portfolio when the Government was being formed after the 2000 election. Not only has he placed regional development firmly on the current political landscape, he has also fostered regional partnerships and other schemes to build regional economies. Find out more on page 51, where we report on economic development and local authorities.
United Future
Councillors tend not to get formal training on how to be a councillor. But on the other hand school trustee board members benefit from a very professional training, says Bernie Ogilvy, a United Future MP with a special interest in citizenship education. As senior secondary school students prepared to assemble at Parliament for the 2004 Youth Parliament, Bernie Ogilvy noted the students’ motivation, which reflected a desire to learn how government works and a readiness to take the learning back to their schools.
“ We are a nation which dropped civics out of the curriculum”, the former teacher turned MP says. “This affects participation in community affairs. We need more participation, in an era when society is breaking into fractions reflected in family breakdowns, problems at school, and on the street,” he says. The community needs to pull together. “People need to know how things tick at a local level.” Perhaps we could mirror the Youth Parliament in local council areas. The school trustees benefit from three good years of training they can use elsewhere in the political process – be it in ward or community board levels, in the city or regional councils, or beyond, he says.
In addition to chair Jeanette Fitzsimons, MPs on the Local Government and Environment Committee in mid 2004 were: deputy chair David Parker, Larry Baldock, Dr Ashraf Choudhary, Sandra Goudie, Ann Hartley, Dave Hereora, Nanaia Mahuta, Jim Peters, Hon Ken Shirley, Hon Clem Simich, and Dr Nick Smith.