Message from the Mayor

Recently I presented the Council’s submission on the proposed local government reforms to the Government’s Local Government and Environment Select Committee.

A key amendment proposed by the Government is directed at changing the purpose of local government currently contained in the Local Government Act 2002.  At the heart of the current purpose are the four well-beings – environmental, social, cultural and economic.  The Government believes local government’s focus should be on meeting the current and future needs of communities for good-quality local infrastructure, local public services, and performance of regulatory functions.

It is the social, cultural and environmental well-beings that allow the Council and the community to recognise and cater for the unique differences that exist within Tasman. The proposed reforms pose a very real danger to how people can determine the growth and development in their settlements.

The Government believes the need to cater for community focused well-beings has created a confusion regarding the role of councils.  They believe this has resulted in councils undertaking a new range of activities causing rates to increase at unprecedented levels.

There is no sound data, robust analysis or evidence to support that view. In fact, there is a far greater weight of evidence showing it is Government imposed legislative demands and requirements that have far greater impact.

It is important the Select Committee listen to the submissions and look carefully at the implications of the proposed Bill.  While we all strive for economic growth it is not the defining factor of a community. The growth and development of settlements, large and small, are to a large degree determined by the values of those who choose to live there. These values are given weight by the four well-beings.  Focusing on one economic driver is fine if we all have the same view of the world, however, it is obvious this is not the case in Tasman.

All councils have a focus on delivering services at an affordable cost to their ratepayers and already the bulk of our costs are focused on infrastructure. It would be very wrong, however, to limit further the small amount of investment we make to support the differences in our unique communities.

Mayor Richard Kempthorne