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Local governance entities
New Zealanders also have a voice in how their communities develop through a number of other organisations that offer services in local communities and that are elected or appointed to represent the interests of that community.
Licensing trusts
A trust is a board of elected representatives (separate from the council) that administer premises selling liquor within the boundaries of its district. Popular anti-liquor sentiment in the 1900s promoted the concept of licensing trusts as a form of public ownership.
The first licensing trust in New Zealand was established in Invercargill
in 1944, and in 1949 the Licensing Trust Act was passed. At the turn
of the 21st
century there were about 26 licensing trusts in operation. Licensing trusts
traditionally invested in local liquor outlets, and more recently in restaurants,
and may in future focus on other local investments.
Licensing trusts were based on
- the sale of liquor in a particular area being controlled by the people in the community, through elected representatives
- profits from the sale of liquor remaining in the community, going into providing quality facilities and support for community projects.
District health boards
There are 21 district health boards (DHBs), with some elected and some appointed members. These are responsible for providing or purchasing Government-funded health care services for the population of a specific geographical area. The statutory objectives of DHBs are to improve, promote and protect the health of communities; to promote the integration of health services, especially primary and secondary care services; and to promote effective care or support of those in need of personal health services or disability support.
DHBs are expected to show a sense of social responsibility, to foster community participation in health improvement, and to uphold the ethical and quality standards commonly expected of providers of health services and public sector organisations.
School boards of trustees
Boards of Trustees are locally elected boards that govern state and state integrated schools. Boards establish a charter, which sets out the aims and objectives of the school.
“With more than 16,000 positions for elected representatives, elections for school boards of trustees are the biggest exercise in participatory democracy in New Zealand,” says Ray Newport, chief executive of the School Trustees Association.
See this article online in Samoan, Chinese, Korean and Arabic at www.decisionmaker.co.nz