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Local Government Information Series

Information and analysis about local government in New Zealand

A programme of research, evaluation and information collection about local government is being undertaken by The Department of Internal Affairs.

This information is collected as part of the evaluation of local government legislation, and as part of ongoing work on a database for regular reporting on information and analysis about local government.

The Local Government Information Series (LGIS) is based on work either undertaken by the DIA, or commissioned as part of the need to provide information about this sector. LGIS information will be useful for

• councils
• people interested in local government
• policy developers
• researchers and academics.

Local Government Information Series Reports

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LGIS 2009/18 Information on Local Government Water Network Infrastructure (1.04MB)

This report presents the results of analysis of data collected from a range of council documents on aspects of the Water Supply, Wastewater and Stormwater systems operated by councils across New Zealand.

Information in this report includes:

• some of the physical attributes and estimated state of water infrastructure systems;
• estimates of forecast capital and operating expenditure on these systems;and
• estimates of the current and planned future levels of renewals and maintenance.

The Department of Internal Affairs has completed an analysis of council’s final 2009/19 long-term council community plans (LTCCPs).

These reports include analysis of high-level financial information, and a range of non-financial observations from the LTCCPs. The information provides the basis for understanding and analysing the key trends arising over the next ten years for the local government sector as a whole.

LGIS 2009/15 Observations and Trends from the 2009/19 Long-term Council Community Plans (478KB)

LGIS 2009/16 2009/19 Long-term Council Community Plans Financial Analysis Summary Report (2MB)

LGIS 2009/17 A Snapshot of Local Government in 2009 - 2009/19 Long-term Council Community Plans Non-financial Analysis Summary Report (792KB)

LGIS 2009/14 Analysis of Financial Information from Local Government 2007/08 and 2008/09 Annual Plans (326kb)

This report compares financial forecasts from the 85 local authorities' annual plans for 2007/08 and 2008/09 with the corresponding 2007/08 and 2008/09 period in the 2006/16 LTCCPs. The movements reported are movements between the forecast in the LTCCP and the forecast in the Annual Plan.

This series of case studies looks at how councils have approached the planning (mainly the long-term council community plan), decision-making and community outcomes provisions of the Local Government Act 2002. The case studies are based on interviews undertaken in 2008 with seven territorial authorities and two regional councils. A range of community stakeholders were also interviewed.

Determining the actual impact of some parts of the Act was difficult, as people were also asked about planning and decision-making activities they undertook prior to 2002. However, a review of council perceptions indicates that, overall, the Act has had a positive impact on councils. The case studies build on and generally support previous work by the Local Government Commission and Local Futures.

LGIS 2009/11 Case Study - Wanganui District Council (453KB)

LGIS 2009/10 Case Study - Otago Regional Council (754KB)

LGIS 2009/09 Case Study - Hawke's Bay Regional Council (482KB)

LGIS 2009/08 Case Study - Waimakariri District Council (1.08MB)

LGIS 2009/07 Case Study - Invercargill City Council (724KB)

LGIS 2009/06 Case Study - Tararua District Council (658KB)

LGIS 2009/05 Case Study - Rodney District Council (608KB)

LGIS 2009/04 Case Study - Westland District Council (658KB)

LGIS 2009/03 Case Study - Wellington City Council (622KB)

LGIS 2009/02 Analysis of Council Organisations (339KB)

The Department of Internal Affairs has comissioned research into the nature and variability of council organisations used by councils, and how councils monitored the performance of their council organisations (as required by the Local Government Act 2002).

Many councils have associated or subsidiary council organisations in which they have some form of ownership or controlling interest. This research gives an overview of council organisations, including

• how councils are using their council organisations
• the contribution council organisations make to total council finances
• addressing a number of issues in the way councils are using their council organisations.

This research also gives a basis for understanding performance reporting within the local government sector. This report was prepared by MWH Consultants.

LGIS 2009/01 Review of Local Government Representation Processes (631KB)

The Department of Internal Affairs has commissioned research into long-term overall changes in council representation, including changes associated with council representation review processes.

The Local Government Act 2002 requires that local authorities undertake a representation review at least once every six years. This process consists of reviewing representation arrangements such as the number of councillors for a ward or district, the boundries and number of community boards and the system of voting. This research looks at trends in representation and the way that councils determine and consult on their representation arrangements.

The Department of Internal Affairs has commissioned research into the levels of development and financial contributions used by local authorities in New Zealand.

LGIS 2008/01 Analysis of 2007/08 Development Contributions (1.26MB)

LGIS 2008/02 Analysis of 2007/08 Financial Contributions (491kb)

Introduced under the Local Government Act 2002, development contributions allow territorial authorities to collect revenue to recover costs associated with development. Financial contributions are set under the Resource Management Act 1991 and recover costs related to the impact of development on the environment. These charges help to ensure that the costs accompanying development are shared across the community.

While not every council has a working development contributions policy, the research presented provides a summary of the levels of charges set and the range of council activities these charges have been used to fund.

• 44 out of 73 territorial authorities have an operative development contributions policy
• Median development contribution charges range from $22,200 to less than $100. Findings show that territorial authorities needing additional infrastructure due to high development and population growth tend to charge more
• For most of the councils collecting development contributions, the forecast revenue is less than 5% of their total. However, in some high-growth areas development contributions are forecast to be as much as 20% of their future revenue
• Researchers experienced some difficulty in determining how some councils are using development and/or financial contributions, and in finding supporting documentation. Greater transparency in presenting these costs would increase public understanding.