???1;CHRIS BISHOP

021 852 661 *VIA WHATSAPP*
RMA REFORM MINISTER

PRE RECORD 0530

REPLAY 0705


SWEEPING PROPOSALS COMING TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

FIRST INVOLVES ABOLISHING REGIONAL COUNCILLORS - REPLACING THEM WITH COMBINED TERRITORIES BOARDS MADE UP OF MAYORS

THE SECOND WOULD REQUIRE THOSE BOARDS TO PRODUCE A REGIONAL REORGANISATION PLAN WITHIN TWO YEARS.

ALL AIMED AT A MORE COST-EFFECTIVE, STREAMLINED SYSTEM.

CHRIS BISHOP IS THE RMA REFORM MINISTER AND IS WITH US, MORNING.


- WHAT DID A REGIONAL COUNCILLOR ACTUALLY DO? WHAT KINDA OF MONEY WERE THEY ON?

- THEY AREN'T LIKELY TO SERVE THEIR 3 YEAR TERM? RUNNING INTO ISSUES THERE? PAYOUTS ETC?

- WHY DIDN'T YOU DO THIS BEFORE THE LGNZ ELECTIONS?

- WILL IT HAVE ANY EFFECT ON RATES?


PRESS RELEASE:

SIMPLER, MORE COST-EFFECTIVE LOCAL GOVERNMENT

THE GOVERNMENT HAS ANNOUNCED PROPOSALS THAT WOULD FUNDAMENTALLY SIMPLIFY HOW WE PLAN OUR CITIES AND REGIONS AND MAKE IT FAR EASIER TO BUILD THE FUTURE NEW ZEALANDERS DESERVE.

"THESE REFORMS WOULD DELIVER THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT SINCE 1989," MR BISHOP SAYS.

"COUNCILS AND THEIR ELECTED MEMBERS SHAPE THE PLACES WE LIVE, THE LOCAL SERVICES WE RELY ON, AND MAKES DECISIONS THAT AFFECT OUR EVERYDAY LIVES.

"BUT LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS MEANT TO SERVE COMMUNITIES, NOT CONFUSE THEM. BUT RIGHT NOW, THE SYSTEM IS TANGLED IN DUPLICATION, DISAGREEMENTS, AND DECISIONS THAT DEFY COMMON SENSE.

"THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT THINK LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS SERVING NEW ZEALANDERS WELL AND THE TIME HAS COME FOR REFORM.

"IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS, WE WILL INTRODUCE OUR RESOURCE MANAGEMENT REFORMS TO PARLIAMENT.

"OUR NEW PLANNING SYSTEM IS A ONCE-IN-A-GENERATION OPPORTUNITY TO SET NEW ZEALAND ON THE PATH TO ECONOMIC GROWTH THAT LIFTS OUR LIVING STANDARDS AND PROTECTS THE ENVIRONMENT.

"OUR REFORMS WILL STRIP OUT DUPLICATION IN THE SYSTEM, STANDARDISE PROCESSES, AND DRIVE DOWN COMPLEXITY AND COMPLIANCE COSTS.

"UNDER THE NEW PLANNING SYSTEM THERE WILL BE FEWER PLANS, FEWER CONSENT CATEGORIES, AND FEWER CONSENTS OVERALL. REGIONAL COUNCILS WILL HAVE A SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED ROLE AS PART OF THIS NEW PLANNING SYSTEM.

"THE GOVERNMENT IS THEREFORE PROPOSING TWO CHANGES TO OUR EXISTING SYSTEM OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT."

PROPOSAL 1 - ABOLISHING REGIONAL COUNCILLORS

THIS WOULD REPLACE ELECTED REGIONAL COUNCILLORS WITH NEW COMBINED TERRITORIES BOARDS MADE UP OF MAYORS FROM THE REGION'S CITY AND DISTRICT COUNCILS.

"WHEN CITIZENS VOTE FOR THEIR MAYOR, THEY ARE CHOOSING WHO THEY WANT TO LEAD LOCAL REPRESENTATION FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS. MOST PEOPLE KNOW THEIR MAYOR. FEW COULD NAME THE CHAIR OF THEIR REGIONAL COUNCIL, OR EVEN A REGIONAL COUNCILLOR," MR WATTS SAYS.

"COMBINED TERRITORIES BOARDS WOULD EMPOWER MAYORS FROM THE SAME REGION TO WORK TOGETHER TO GOVERN THEIR REGIONS THROUGH GENUINE REGIONAL COLLABORATION.

"IT WOULD STREAMLINE REGIONAL DECISION-MAKING ACROSS PLANNING, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND REGULATION, REDUCE DUPLICATION, AND STRENGTHEN ACCOUNTABILITY. IT WOULD ALSO REMOVE AN UNNECESSARY, CONFUSING, AND EXPENSIVE STRUCTURE.

"MOST DECISIONS WOULD BE MADE THROUGH A POPULATION-BASED VOTING SYSTEM THAT ENSURES SMALLER COMMUNITIES' VOICES ARE HEARD. FOR RESOURCE MANAGEMENT DECISIONS, A DUAL THRESHOLD WOULD APPLY REQUIRING BOTH A MAJORITY OF POPULATION-WEIGHTED VOTES AND A MAJORITY OF BOARD MEMBERS.

"THIS ENSURES BOTH URBAN AND RURAL INTERESTS ARE REPRESENTED IN DECISIONS ON LAND, WATER, AND CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT.

"RATEPAYERS DESERVE A SYSTEM THAT WORKS FOR THEM, NOT ONE BOGGED DOWN BY UNNECESSARY LAYERS OF BUREAUCRACY.

"BY REMOVING REGIONAL COUNCILS, WE CAN CUT DUPLICATION, REDUCE COSTS, AND STREAMLINE DECISION-MAKING. THIS MEANS MORE EFFICIENT SERVICES, GREATER ACCOUNTABILITY, AND BETTER VALUE FOR EVERY DOLLAR SPEND. IT'S ABOUT DELIVERING A LEANER, MORE EFFICIENT LOCAL GOVERNMENT THAT PUTS COMMUNITIES FIRST."

"WE'RE ALSO SEEKING FEEDBACK ON WHAT ROLE AND POWERS THE CROWN HAS ON THESE BOARDS."

PROPOSAL 2 - LOCALLY-LED REGIONAL REORGANISATION

"THIS WOULD SEE THE NEW COMBINED TERRITORIES BOARDS (CTB) LEAD REGIONAL REORGANISATION PLANS.

"EACH CTB WOULD BE ASKED TO PREPARE A REGIONAL REORGANISATION PLAN WITHIN TWO YEARS OF ESTABLISHMENT," MR WATTS SAYS.

"THESE PLANS WOULD ASSESS HOW COUNCILS ACROSS A REGION CAN BEST WORK TOGETHER TO DELIVER EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE, PUBLIC SERVICES, AND REGULATORY FUNCTIONS.

"OPTIONS COULD INCLUDE SHARED SERVICES, COUNCIL-OWNED COMPANIES, REALLOCATING FUNCTIONS, OR MERGING TERRITORIAL AUTHORITIES TO FORM NEW UNITARY COUNCILS.

"REGIONAL REORGANISATION PLANS WOULD BE TESTED AGAINST CLEAR CRITERIA. THEY MUST SUPPORT NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIKE HOUSING AND INFRASTRUCTURE, OFFER FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE ARRANGEMENTS THAT KEEP RATES MANAGEABLE, AND DELIVER BETTER SERVICES AT LOWER COST.

"PLANS WOULD NEED TO SET OUT CLEAR LEADERSHIP AND ACCOUNTABILITY, ENSURE DECISIONS ARE MADE AT THE RIGHT LOCAL LEVEL, AND UPHOLD ALL TREATY SETTLEMENT COMMITMENTS. THEY MUST ALSO INCLUDE A PRACTICAL PATHWAY FOR IMPLEMENTATION SO CHANGES CAN BE DELIVERED SMOOTHLY AND ON TIME.

"FINAL PLANS WOULD BE APPROVED BY THE MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT, RATHER THAN THROUGH POLLS OR REFERENDA."

CONSULTATION ON THESE PROPOSALS IS OPEN NOW UNTIL FRIDAY 20 FEBRUARY 2026 THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS WEBSITE. A FINAL PROPOSAL WILL BE CONFIRMED BY MARCH SO LEGISLATION CAN BE DRAFTED.

"THIS IS A ONCE-IN-A-GENERATION CHANCE TO BUILD A SIMPLER, CLEARER, AND MORE EFFICIENT LOCAL GOVERNMENT SYSTEM FOR NEW ZEALANDERS," MR BISHOP SAYS.