Rethink needed on council funding
Last week I received my rates invoice from Christchurch City Council. To my dismay, I learnt that my rates for the city council and regional council combined have increased by 11%. Read more
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Last week I received my rates invoice from Christchurch City Council. To my dismay, I learnt that my rates for the city council and regional council combined have increased by 11%. Read more
This week, Stuff reported on a story that seemed so absurd, it caught our attention: the idea to fence a pool on a remote island, just meters away from the Pacific Ocean. On Motukawaiti Island, 3.5km off Northland’s coast, authorities have mandated that a small swimming pool be enclosed. Read more
New Zealand has long enjoyed its reputation as one of the world's most transparent and business-friendly nations. Does it deserve this reputation? Read more
In this podcast, Nick and Eric talk to Sam Broughton and Simon Randall from Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) about the potential for implementing city and regional deals in New Zealand - formal long-term partnerships between central and local government to better plan and fund local infrastructure and economic development. They explore the benefits such deals could provide, like aligning incentives, enabling tailored local policies, and sharing gains, while also examining the political barriers that need to be overcome. Read more
New Zealand is heavily centralised. This stifles local initiative and contributes to sluggish productivity and anaemic economic growth. Read more
This report, "City and regional deals", draws on the Initiative's extensive work on localism and international best practices to explore how partnerships between central and local government can empower communities to tackle their unique challenges and seize opportunities for growth. "For too long, our councils have borne the costs of growth while the benefits flow almost entirely to central government in Wellington," says Dr Oliver Hartwich, Executive Director of the New Zealand Initiative. Read more
Wellington (Tuesday, 28 May 2024) - New research from The New Zealand Initiative suggests city and regional deals could be a key to unlocking New Zealand's economic potential and boosting living standards across the country. The research note, "City and regional deals", draws on the Initiative's previous work on localism and international best practices to explore how partnerships between central and local government can empower communities to tackle their unique challenges and seize opportunities for growth. Read more
The Independent Review of Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities lays bare New Zealand’s housing mess. Decent housing is fundamental to wellbeing. Read more
The New Zealand Initiative has taken advantage of the tumultuous media landscape and branched out this week into news coverage. Your faithful reporter’s first task was covering the approval of the Wellington City District plan by the Minister for RMA Reform. Read more
New Zealand faces significant challenges in managing growth, delivering infrastructure, and improving the well-being of our communities. Our productivity performance has been dismal. Read more