Do North Canterbury's mayors need more powers?

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Northern Outlook

North Canterbury’s mayors are backing a call by Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) for more powers to be given to local leaders.

LGNZ says Cyclone Gabrielle has exposed the enormous challenges facing the regions and it wants a radical rethink of how public services are delivered.

Do you think our mayors need more powers? Read the full story from local democracy reporter David Hill below, and let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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The Hurunui, Waimakariri and Kaikōura councils have made submissions to the draft future for local government report, which closed on February 28.

LGNZ president Stuart Crosby said councils were calling for a reboot of the relationship between central and local government.

He said New Zealand was one of the most centralised countries in the OECD, with 90% of taxation going to central government.

‘‘Cyclone Gabrielle has exposed many of the pressing issues that have been bubbling away over decades.’’

Hurunui mayor Marie Black said councils needed to be better resourced to allow local leaders to be more influential in a crisis.

‘‘There is nothing more comforting to local people than to see their local leaders and this action can work in tandem with regional/national support.

‘‘A local flavour should be the heart of the recovery plan with financial capital from central government and the ability to build back better through locally led actions.’’

Black said councils were well-placed to take a lead in tackling climate change and social issues, if the resourcing was there.

‘‘I see the need to resource councils to prepare for climate change and resourcing could come in a variety of ways, to fund the knowledge and consider options for adaptive planning.

‘‘Councils are well poised to be a stronger champions in the provision of social services, we understand the housing market but are often hampered by process to be influential to effect positive change.’’

The Hurunui District Council already funded health care services through Together Hurunui, while the Community Wellbeing North Canterbury Trust worked across both the Hurunui and Waimakariri districts, making use of local knowledge.

But these services relied on significant external funding to be effective.

Waimakariri mayor Dan Gordon said local authorities had a strong connection to their communities.

‘‘We believe this contributes to better localised place-making outcomes, genuine opportunities for citizen-led participatory democracy, and the provision of services on the ground that reflect the needs and aspirations of communities.’’

He said there was an opportunity for councils to take on more responsibility, in partnership with central government, rather than the move to more centralisation.

‘‘The anticipated impacts of climate change is one example of this, but this could also be extended to consider housing and healthcare.’’