Local Aotearoa

The first episode of New Zealand's newest (and possibly first ever and only) podcast dedicated to the world of local government is now live. 🎙️🇳🇿 Check it out on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or through the link below 👇 gwynncompton.co.nz/localaotearoa/…

"The devil, as always, will be in the detail. But that is exactly why the process matters. The goal cannot simply be fewer councils on a map. It has to be local government that works better for the people and places it serves." localaotearoa.substack.com/p/the-clock-is…

Those opposing new homes in Kāpiti are resorting to ever more misleading rhetoric in an increasingly desperate campaign against change. localaotearoa.substack.com/p/lies-damned-…

For all the hype around today’s mega-ministry announcement, it’s the replacement of the Resource Management Act and local government reforms already underway that will have the biggest impact on councils, communities, the environment, and the economy. localaotearoa.substack.com/p/dont-fear-th…

It's Local Aotearoa's biggest transparency win so far: the Ombudsman has, in a provisional opinion, told Greater Wellington Regional Council that their practice of closing workshops to the public is unreasonable. ✊ localaotearoa.substack.com/p/transparency…

Kāpiti is at a crossroads. With a fresh push for regional reorganisation underway, our leaders must engage in good faith with this new process. Opting out again means losing our community's ability to shape and ultimately decide our own future. localaotearoa.substack.com/p/will-kapiti-…

The Wellington region is once again gearing up for yet another push at local government reorganisation. If amalgamation is back on the table, we owe it to our communities to get the process right. localaotearoa.substack.com/p/once-more-un…

In another transparency win, Upper Hutt is set to open its council workshops, joining Wellington, Hutt City, and Porirua in lifting transparency. Greater Wellington is now the holdout. It’s time they met the same standards their communities deserve. localaotearoa.substack.com/p/looming-tran…

So what is the government proposing to do once more? Prevent councils from increasing rates enough to enable responsible asset management and therefore force them to underinvest in infrastructure once more. Have we learnt nothing in the past 40 years? 🤦‍♂️

After a year of Simon Watts as Local Government Minister, the direction is unmistakable: less local autonomy, more central control. localaotearoa.substack.com/p/simon-watts-…

The Coalition keeps saying it isn’t going to force council amalgamations, but its new local government proposal funnels regions straight towards them, with the Local Government Minister having the final say. 👇 localaotearoa.substack.com/p/coalition-la…

Big changes are coming for local government. “Radical simplification” might be overselling things, but shifting to a single-tier of local government is still the biggest change since 1989. localaotearoa.substack.com/p/oversold-or-…

Feeling a sense of supercity déjà vu? Wellington’s push for a single unitary council is back for another round. 🥊 localaotearoa.substack.com/p/wellingtons-…

When The Washington Post introduced its slogan “Democracy dies in darkness”, it was warning about the dangers of an unaccountable government and a weakened fourth estate. But what happens when the darkness isn’t censorship or a vanishing press, but apathy? localaotearoa.substack.com/p/stand-up-for…

From making sure you've read all your council papers through to the special joy of reply all emails, a former district councillor shares his advice to help the incoming 2025 cohort of councillors, mayors, and chairs survive the coming triennium. open.substack.com/pub/localaotea…

Love local democracy? 🧡 Show it by making sure to cast your votes in your local government elections by 12 noon, Saturday 11 October. 🗳 localaotearoa.substack.com/p/vote-before-…

A big tick for more transparency! ☑️ That's the message from GWRC candidates who responded to a question about whether they supported the council opening up its currently closed-door workshops and briefings in line with most other councils. localaotearoa.substack.com/p/greater-well…

Local Aotearoa reached out to Kāpiti's six mayoral candidates to give them an opportunity to share their views on Kāpiti's role in any possible amalgamation of councils in the Wellington region. localaotearoa.substack.com/p/three-kapiti…

Greater Wellington's CEO and Chair kept a warning letter from the Ombudsman secret from councillors and their risk committee, raising questions about the commitment of GWRC's two most senior figures to basic principles of transparency and accountability. localaotearoa.substack.com/p/councillors-…

Investing in professional development is a positive thing, but with public money there's transparency and accountability around it. So what's with a Kāpiti Coast councillor launching a Trumpian attack on their "political enemies" over a LGOIMA request? localaotearoa.substack.com/p/councillor-c…

The key thing about a joke - perhaps its most important defining element - is that it’s funny. We'll leave it up to you to decide if a candidate joking about te reo Māori is funny and what doing so instead of answering an easy question says about them. localaotearoa.substack.com/p/act-candidat…