With new councils getting down to business, the roles and powers of Mayors have been in the spotlight as they nominate deputies and establish committees, though sometimes there can be push back. In this episode, we take a look at Mayors and Chairs to understand how they fit within the puzzle of local government.
Episode 8 - Thoughts on the new triennium
With life getting in the way, the podcast has been on another break, but we’re back with a brief and unscripted download about the recent local government elections and thoughts about some of the challenges local government will face in the new triennium.
Episode 7 - Representing representation reviews
With the Local Government Commission releasing their determinations on representation arrangements for councils, and Rotorua Lakes Council’s proposed representation model and the required law change receiving a lot of media coverage and debate, we take a look at both of these issues to see what’s going on.
Episode 6 - Local Aotearoa is finally back for 2022
It’s been a while since our last episode, but Local Aotearoa is finally back for 2022 with an update on where some of the big issues for the local government sector are currently sitting and how some of the mayoral races around the country are shaping up.
Episode 5 - Big news on housing, water, transport, and more
Since our last episode Central Government has made several big announcements that impact local government, including on the Three Waters reform, housing intensification, transport solutions for Auckland and Wellington, and more.
Episode 4 - So you want to be a politician (Part 2) - The Campaign
In the second part of Local Aotearoa’s look at local government elections, we pivot from the systems needed to hold an election into the election campaign itself.
Episode 3: So, you want to be a politician? (Part 1) - The Local Electoral Act
With just under a year to go until the next local government elections, in this episode (the first of two parts) we take a look at local government elections, start to explore some of the political dynamics at play across the country, how your council organises these elections, and the role of the Local Electoral Act.
Episode 2: Three Waters reform
In this week’s episode, we open up the tap on the Three Waters - one of the “Big Three” reforms currently facing New Zealand’s local government sector, with the proposed amalgamation of drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater services into four large, multi-regional entities. So how did we get here? What’s proposed? And what are some of the arguments for and against the proposed reforms?
Episode 1: Welcome to Local Aotearoa
Welcome to Local Aotearoa, New Zealand’s first podcast dedicated to the world of local government. In this first episode, I introduce myself and give a high level overview of local government in New Zealand including its history, its current structure, roles, and funding, and some of the big reforms facing the sector.