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Cr. Anne Hunt
- The Trojan Horse
Anne Hunt is a long-serving
Councillor of the Horowhenua District Council. She
walks the talk when it comes to social justice and freedom
of speech, and is the newest member of the Council Watch
team.
Anne writes a regular column called "The Trojan
Horse", which provides one Councillor's insight into
local bodies.
> click here to read The
latest Trojan Horse column <
Greater Honesty Needed Over
The Country’s State Of Preparedness
There has been the furious
reporting at home and abroad on the most significant
earthquake to strike New Zealand for 80 years, but the real
truth of the situation is far more serious and has impacts
for the entire country, and people desperately need a dose
of reality.
> click here for
article <
Citizens' Forum launched in Wellington
New Zealand’s citizens have
received a boost through the launch of the first Regional
Citizen’s Forum in Wellington.
> click here for
article <
Getting to Know Your
Councillor: the Councillor2010 Survey
An independent survey has been
conducted online, providing responses from 37% of
Councillors and Mayors across New Zealand.
> click here for
article <
Local Govt
NZ happy 'Super City' will be more democratic
Much more control of council
controlled organisations (CCOs) has been vested back to the
new Auckland City Council says Local Government New Zealand.
> click here for
article <
A generation of experience
lost with passing of Upper Hutt City Councillor
The sudden death of Councillor
Keith Barnard saw over 30 years of experience in the Council
Chamber lost from the Upper Hutt City Council.
> click here for
article <
Taranaki residents' association takes a lead in Local Body
Elections
The Bell Block & District
Residents Society arranged a mayoralty candidates forum at
its 30th anniversary celebrations and annual meeting held on
29th June.
> click here for
article <
Masterton farewells
"diligent and popular councillor"
Councillor Jeff Workman of
Masterton District Council passed away this year due to
illness.
> click here for
article <
Wairoa District Council
takes consultation seriously
Wairoa District Council is venturing into a new style of
public consultation by hosting 'Face to Face With Council' -
a two-day open event in the former Retravision building on
Marine Parade.
> click here for
article <
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"My name is
Local Government and I'm not coping"
If the local government sector
was a person they would be ponderous, socially-inept and
morally bankrupt. They’d be filthy rich and very lazy. If
you had a problem they wouldn’t care and if you complained
because something they did hurt you or your family their
response would be “so sue me”. Not the sort of person who’d
voluntarily join a support group to seek help. Draco
Foundation Chairperson Mike MacLeod shares some home truths
about the state of local government.
> click here for
article <
Concerns Raised Over Crown Observer Appointment
Local government watchdog
Council Watch has expressed concerns about the appointment
of a government official to advise Christchurch City
councillors, and believes it could raise serious
constitutional issues.
> click here for
article <
Opinion:
Rumblings in Manawatu
Palmerston North, a city where
the legal framework for governance is simply torn up. John
Stichbury offers his concerns around wind farm development
and the process the local authority has undertaken.
> click here for
article <
Opinion: Who saves us
from the ground beneath our feet?
Like most Kiwis I have spent
the past 24 hours transfixed by the images and stories of
the latest Christchurch earthquake; one which is measured by
the number 6.3 in terms of magnitude but will forever be
remembered by the tragedy of the death toll, the havoc
wreaked on the city’s central business area and the collapse
of many heritage buildings. But amongst the death and
destruction there's a salutary lesson for elected officials.
> click here for
article <
Councillor2010
Survey will boost voter
interest
A survey of Councillors and
Mayors throughout New Zealand provides a rare insight into
the thoughts and attitudes of this hard-working but
much-maligned group of people.
> click here for
article <
Civil Defence: The Good and
the Bad
Jarrod Coburn reflects on the
things Councils do well and what they need some help with.
> click here for
article <
Councillor survey sneak
preview to be presented to Minister
A special insight into the
hearts and minds of New Zealand's local body representatives
was presented to the Hon. John Carter on Monday 23rd August.
> click here for
article <
Residents2010 Conference
Proceedings now available
A 37-page report has been
published containing the output from a conference for
residents' associations held in Parliament Buildings in
April this year.
> click here for
article <
Grovetown Residents'
Association angered by Council
A Blenheim residents'
association has complained to the Office of the Ombudsmen
over the actions of the Marlborough District Council.
> click here for
article <
Complaints lodged with
Ombudsman
After two
attempts at undertaking public research with Councils across
the country, Council Watch staff have finally given in and
started lodging formal complaints with the
Office of the Ombudsmen.
> click here for
article <
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Opinion:
Fronting up to an angry mob
If anything typifies the
volatility of politics, it would have to be the gathering of
several thousand people outside the Christchurch Council on
the first day of February this year. Councillor Anne Hunt
reflects on what makes the public angry with councils.
> click here for
article <
Submission on
Law Commission review of LGOIMA
The Law Commission launched a
review of the two Acts earlier this year and the Draco
Foundation - the parent organisation of Council Watch -
provided a 12-page submission based on the experience of the
past three years.
> click here for
article <
Opinion:
Leadership in a time of great change
Events in Christchurch and
Japan have certainly shaken New Zealanders out of their
complacency. It is a timely reminder of the importance
of council’s core services, the services we take for granted
– namely water supply, sewage disposal and roading.
And it also highlights the importance of strong leadership
and effective communications. She discusses
it in the latest Trojan Horse.
> click here for
article <
Opinion:
Let's think hard about that rate increase!
This is the time of the year
when councils around the country are busy finalising their
draft annual plans and consulting their communities over the
content. For most people, this significant period in each
council’s annual cycle passes by with little interest.
> click here for
article <
Opinion: The
role of Councillors and the Mayor
Journalists can be relieved
that the silly season is over, tackling more serious issues
as councils get down to business. But there was one
story over the summer season that tickled Cr. Anne Hunt's
fancy, and even though it was tackled in a light-hearted
manner, it was really quite significant.
> click here for
article <
Wellington
Mayor Sees Need To Upskill Councillors
While some Wellington City
Councillors are sniggering like children at Mayor
Wade-Brown's suggestions to improve their skills, members of
the public are realising that she may very well have a
point.
> click here for
article <
You've got to
be JOKING, right?
Council debt is spiralling and
the rate burden keeps getting bigger. Yet the Hamilton
City Council has spare cash to call in the lawyers with a
view to suing another Council over an advertising campaign!
> click here for
article <
The Problem of
Preparedness: What Councils Could Do
As local government
politicians rush to capitalise on the major earthquake in
Canterbury, others are considering the core reasons for
Kiwi's lack of preparedness.
> click here for
article <
Ombudsman finds in favour of ratepayers
The Office of the Ombudsman
has upheld a complaint against the Carterton District
Council, after a complaint from a local residents'
association.
> click here for
article <
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