What future for local government now? Response to Ann Court's contribution

I think you pose the question extremely well (that local government is constrained by having only the powers conferred by Parliament). It is certainly a dilemma for most of the elected members I know who have any real interest in the future of local government (most do).

It’s a product I believe of the way that over the past few decades local government has allowed itself to be increasingly corralled as a creature of central government with relatively little discretion to act on its own initiative. It is hardly surprising that has happened as, with few exceptions, councils have not had the trust and confidence of their communities, and very few communities have understood just how effective councils could be if they and their communities understood the possibilities

Formal local government in New Zealand in the sense of established entities goes back as you noted at least to the municipal corporations ordinance and in a way to the New Zealand company’s earlier attempt to establish a council in Wellington which was quickly squashed by Gov Hobson.

Local governance in the sense of people’s wish to pay a part in shaping decisions which affect their place goes back for millennia. In New Zealand at the moment it is most commonly acknowledged by its absence, usually as the complaint that councils don’t listen to us.

There is a good argument that councils are far more than just a statutory entity subject to increasing and occasionally arbitrary control by central government. Elected members as a body are far more than just governors of the Council. They are also collectively the elected leaders of their community, a role which ideally would have them considering how best to unlock the incredible energy their communities have if only ways can be found to let it be expressed (the mutual aid movement which sprang up with the covid 19 lockdowns is an excellent example which was able to burst through the traditional constraints on and lack of confidence in communities which characterises most bureaucracies).

There’s a great deal which councils can do which to a great degree sits outside the reach of government, and can be not only cost neutral but often revenue/savings positive. (In my discussions with think tanks internationally focused on local government there is an increasing awareness that one of the major risks associated with traditional approaches to change in local government is the sense that legislation is required. Increasingly, people are looking at ways of proceeding without needing that kind of permission from government)

We have spent a lot of time looking at international experience with empowering communities. The results can be amazing. Some of the barriers are things such as elected members own distrust of communities (to say nothing of the distrust many managements also have).

Important also to realise that councils don’t have a monopoly over local governance. What they do have, if they understand it, is a convening power which should allow them to act as a catalyst in unlocking the governance potential of other entities. Some of this is happening through the anchor institutions movement. It is also coming to the fore in areas such as philanthropy where many foundations are now recognising that they need not just a mandate from their founding document, but a mandate from communities where they wish to undertake activity. Another driver is the growing recognition many of the challenges we need to resolve require major behavioural change at a community level. This is uniquely a role for local leadership in the form of elected members. The case has been well made in a number of areas including public health research has widely recognised addressing the social determinants of health does require community buy-in. Same with what is now obviously the urgent case for driving a shift from grid-dependency to self dependency in energy.

Agree with your last paragraph but I spin it differently. It’s not about constraint or problem; it’s about opportunity and need. If councils don’t show leadership in this area, we’re going to see a continuing decline in social trust at all levels - one of the unique advantages councils have is their connections with their communities and their ability, if they choose to do so, to empower strong communities and rebuild social trust.

I know I’m talking about a very different way of thinking about local government. That in itself should be cause for celebration! We can’t continue as we have been.