There is a significant regime of reform underway at the Central Government level. One of these programmes is a review into the Future for Local Government.

The Future for Local Government review was initiated in response to calls from the local government sector to look at how local government will be affected in the wake of significant central government policy reform across three waters, resource management, climate change and the health and education systems.

This review has a broad scope, with the review panel being tasked with re-imagining the roles, responsibilities and resources of councils so that they can meet community expectations, which have evolved significantly over the last 30 years.

The Government has agreed to reforms that refocus local councils on delivering essential services and core infrastructure, spending responsibly, and operating under greater scrutiny.

The Local Government Reform Programme will:

• Remove references to the ‘four well-beings’ from the Local Government Act 2002 to restore a focus on essential services like infrastructure maintenance and core service delivery.
• Reorient local government towards core responsibilities, ensuring councils concentrate on essential functions and avoid overlapping with central government roles.
• Introduce performance benchmarking for councils, with the Department of Internal Affairs publishing an annual report on key financial and service delivery metrics to increase transparency and accountability.
• Update outdated regulations to improve efficiency, including removing the requirement for public notices in newspapers.

The first benchmarking report on local councils will be released mid-2025 and include a number a key council performance metrics, including:

• Rates – so that ratepayers know the amount of rates levied per unit, the change in rates since the previous year, and the forecast change in rates over the next 10 years.
• Council debt – including debt per rating unit, percentage change in council debt since the previous year, and forecast change over the next 10 years.
• Capital expenditure – including a breakdown by activity class such as roading and water services.
• Balanced budget – to show whether a council is balancing its budget or borrowing to support expenditure.
• Road condition – so that ratepayers can compare the state of their local roads with councils across the country.

Our work is guided by the Local Government Act 2002, which sets expectations of councils and responding to the needs of our communities. The purpose of local government is to:

• Enable democratic local decision-making and action by, and on behalf of, communities.
• Promote the social, economic, environmental, and cultural well-being of communities in the present and for the future.
• Local authorities exist to lead and represent our communities. It's our responsibility to engage with residents and involve them in decision-making, keeping in mind both current and future needs of our district.
• We have a broad role, giving us the ability to carry out work that supports the overall goal of local government — to make Matamata-Piako a great place to live, work, and visit.
• We are also legally required to meet certain obligations, such as preparing long-term plans every three years and annual plans each year. We must report annually on our performance, including updates on the projects we committed to through community consultation. Our current Long Term Plan 2024-34 can be found here.

• How should the system of local governance be reshaped so it can adapt to future challenges and enable communities to thrive?
• What are the future functions, roles and essential features of New Zealand’s system of local government?
• How might a system of local governance embody authentic partnership under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, creating conditions for shared prosperity and wellbeing?
• What needs to change so local government and its leaders can best reflect and respond to the communities they serve?
• What should change in local governance funding and financing to ensure viability and sustainability, fairness and equity, and maximum wellbeing?