ABSTRACT
This chapter explores a number of tensions inherent in New Zealand’s local government. The first of these tensions is the relationship between central and local government. New Zealand is often described as having the most centralised political system of any OECD county, and a number of elements, perhaps most notably the lack of constitutional protection for local government, means that it is often at the mercy of central government’s directives. We will chart this somewhat rocky relationship over the last few decades, as well as outlining the current configuration of the local government system in New Zealand. The chapter will then explore a very current, and we believe fundamental tension: the battle for the future of local government itself. Using new research from the 2016 local government elections we show that the citizen view is that local government is a key mechanism in New Zealand’s democratic landscape, and that local government is seen as a crucial part of civic life, and indeed citizen responsibility. In contrast, the current central government view that seeks to consolidate local government as a delivery mechanism for goods and services, with the democratic mandate increasingly stripped out. We argue that although local government in New Zealand has always undergone substantial turbulence, the latest developments are absolutely fundamental and strike at the heart of national and local relations.
