Media Release

Councils work together on reform in Bay

Bay of Plenty Mayors and Chair decided to proactively work together and seek to be involved in discussions on the Central Government’s Better Local Government Reform.

The decision to collaboratively engage in the process and to demonstrate strong leadership and an open-minded approach to providing more efficient and effective local government was agreed at the BOP Triennial Forum of Mayors and Chair late last week.

The Bay of Plenty Forum includes Bay of Plenty Regional Council; Kawerau District Council; Ōpōtiki District Council; Rotorua District Council; Tauranga City Council; Western Bay of Plenty District Council; Whakatāne District Council; Taupō District Council; and South Waikato District Council. The Mayors and Chair decided that they wanted to proactively inform the national debate about the reforms being proposed in Local Government as leaders in the Bay of Plenty. The Bay of Plenty councils have already built a reputation as leaders in working t ogether collaboratively and in implementing shared-services to drive better efficiencies and effectiveness in the Bay. They stated that whatever the eventual structure of Local Government is in the Bay, the councils want to collectively drive the proposal and to ensure that the right issues are considered by Central Government, including the effect of legislation, which they believe drives up costs at a local level.

The Mayors and Chair have requested that Bay of Plenty councils work collaboratively on three key linked work programmes being:

• Identifying Central Government legislation and practices that inhibit local government efficiency and effectiveness; • Identifying further shared-services that could be implemented in the Bay and then move forward on this appropriately; and • To then consider form and function for Local Government and how it will work best in the Bay of Plenty.

The Triennial Forum will meet again in mid-May to discuss this matter.

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