Government’s harsh warning to councils

“Pick up the rubbish. Fix the pipes. Fill in potholes … and maintain local assets quickly, carefully, and cost effectively.”

That’s the clear message delivered by the Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to members of Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) at its conference in Wellington this month.

Evidently, from her response in The Post the following day, the government directive riled our own Mayor, Tory Whanau, who called the Prime Minister a dog.

“Barking at us that we need to be better is tired and unhelpful, and doesn’t solve our shared problems,” she is quoted as saying.

Not all councils belong to LGNZ. Some, like Auckland City, think LGNZ is a woke organisation that isn’t delivering anything of any value, so that council, along with others, like Timaru District, have cancelled their membership. Hardly surprising when the conference’s opening powhiri (welcome ceremony) was almost two hours long where most of the delegates scrolled on their phone and ignored what seemed like an interminable side-show.

For the record, we think Wellington City Council should also cancel their LGNZ membership. Those who attended looked suitably bored with what can only be described as “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” entertainment. (We didn’t realise Tony Whanau could sing that well. Ed.)

But let’s not delve too deeply into LGNZ’s choices of half-time revue, and instead focus on what the government is saying. The Prime Minister announced four new measures to get councils back to basics.

1. Make changes to the Local Government Act to restore councils’ focus on local services and infrastructure
2. Investigate performance benchmarks for local councils so ratepayers know exactly what they’re getting for their rates
3. Investigate options to limit councils from spending ratepayers’ money on pet projects and nice-to-haves
4. Review the transparency and accountability rules that apply to councils to ensure democratic decision-making for ratepayers.

With a deft backhander to the Wellington City Council’s loss-making convention centre, Tākina, the Prime Minister said: “Ratepayers are sick of the white elephants and non-delivery. So, my challenge to all of you is to rein in the fantasies and to get back to delivering the basics brilliantly.”

The Prime Minister concluded his LGNZ speech by saying: “Ratepayers expect local government to do the basics and to do the basics brilliantly.”

We agree. So why aren’t they?