Articles from ‘elocal magazine’ in ‘Local Government’

Illegal dumping continues to plague Auckland streets, parks and neighbourhoods, costing ratepayers millions of dollars every year while leaving residents frustrated and communities blighted by mountains of rubbish. By elocal News Desk · New figures obtained by RNZ reveal Auckland Council workers collected 1,926 tonnes of illegally dumped waste during the last financial year, making Auckland by far New Zealand's largest dumping problem. The…

Auckland households are facing another significant increase in living costs, with Watercare announcing a 7.2 percent increase in water and wastewater charges from 1 July, just days after Auckland Council approved an average rates increase of 7.9 percent. By elocal News Desk · The combined increases will add further pressure to household budgets already stretched by higher mortgage costs, insurance premiums, food prices and general inflation. · …

The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance has slammed the Government for exempting the Independent Māori Statutory Board (IMSB) from a law change to ban unelected members from voting on council decisions. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE · Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesman Josh Van Veen said: · "This morning on Newstalk ZB, Simon Watts said, quite rightly, that it is wrong for unelected members to have voting rights. So why should Auckland's local democracy be the…

The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance has responded to revelations by Councillor John Gillon that Auckland Council and its Council-Controlled Organisations have spent $5 million on catering over the past four financial years amid the biggest rates hike in the history of the Super City. · Josh Van Veen, spokesman for the Auckland Ratepayer’s Alliance, said: · “While Aucklanders are tightening their belts, the Council has loosened theirs at the…

The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance is challenging Mayor Wayne Brown’s misleading claim that a rates cap would only save Auckland households the equivalent of a can of baked beans a month. Josh Van Veen, spokesman for the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance, says: · “The numbers simply do not lie. In Auckland, average residential rates went up 20.9 percent between 2022 and 2025, from $2,992 to $3,617.33. A 2-4 percent rates cap would have saved the…

The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance is demanding a full breakdown of Mayor Wayne Brown’s historic 7.9 percent rates increase.On Monday, the council’s Budget and Performance Committee approved the mayoral proposal for public consultation early next year. Earlier this month, the Ratepayers’ Alliance challenged Mayor Brown’s claim that the planned 7.9 percent rates rise is due to the cost of running the City Rail Link (CRL). · Auckland Ratepayers’…

It is too hard and costly to get things built in New Zealand, and the Resource Management Act is a big reason why. · So, we are scrapping it and replacing it with a new planning system built on the idea of private property rights. The new planning system will save ratepayers and taxpayers $13.3b by only regulating what is necessary and reducing the number of consents by up to 46% every year. · The economic benefits of this new system are…

The government has announced a plan to cap annual council rate hikes at four percent by 2029, arguing that households cannot keep absorbing steep increases from local authorities. · Labour has come out firmly against the cap, positioning itself on the opposite side of the issue to most ratepayers. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said ratepayers are being forced to tighten their belts while many councils continue to spend on “nice-to-haves…

New Zealand’s Supreme Court has ruled that four Uber drivers who challenged their status are employees, not contractors. The ruling applies only to the four drivers who brought the case, but it opens the door for thousands of contractors with a single dominant platform or employer to argue they are, in fact, employees entitled to minimum wage, guaranteed hours, paid leave, and the right to bring personal grievances. · The case stems from a 2022…

After years of denouncing ACT and its bills as racist and colonial, newly independent MPs Takuta Ferris and Mariameno Kapa Kingi have suddenly reversed their votes to back ACT’s Medicines Amendment Bill in the House. After initially voting against their former party, Te Pāti Māori, both MPs stood in the House to “correct” the record, insisting the anti-bill votes had been cast by mistake. · The Greens say that their explanation is simply not…