Category: Public Media

Source: Radio New Zealand

Mayors of city and district councils would take over the duties of regional councils, in a coalition proposal pitched as the biggest shake-up of local government in three decades.

The mayors would form 11 Combined Territories Boards (CTBs), which would meet regularly and – on top of handling the business of regional councils – would tasked with coming up with a “Regional Reorganisation Plan” for reorganising how their councils are structured in the long term.

The CTBs would also have responsibility under the government’s RMA reforms for developing the region-wide spatial plan chapter, and a national environment plan chapter, to be included in combined regional plans.

The changes are now out for consultation, which remains open until 20 February, with the resulting legislation expected to be introduced mid-next year and passed in 2027.

Local Government Minister Simon Watts and RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop announced the moves on Tuesday, releasing the details at 5pm to avoid spooking the markets due to regional councils’ ownership of port companies around the country.

“Local government is meant to serve communities, not confuse them, but right now the system is tangled in duplication, disagreements and decisions that defy common sense,” Bishop said.

He said he expected the changes would put “downward pressure” on rates.

“The government’s belief is that local government has lost the social license and that New Zealanders have lost faith in local government – this is borne out by the fact that over half don’t bother to vote in local elections.”

He said it was clear to many the current structure was no longer fit for purpose, and the “status quo is not an option”.

Bishop said he could not guarantee the current elected regional councillors would stay in those roles for their full three-year term, only saying “it’s an option”.

“I think most New Zealanders, fair minded people, look at our current local government system and say we need change,” he said.

The government’s impending replacement of the Resource Management Act would mean a reduced role for regional councils, he said, with fewer plans and fewer consents – and presented a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to “reset” the structure of local government.

“Change is hard, and actually this government was elected to make tough decisions.”

Mayors would likely have a set number of votes on these boards based on population, but adjusted to ensure smaller communities still had a voice – although this was one of multiple options proposed.

A discussion document released alongside the decision gave three options for filling out the Combined Territories Boards with Crown Commissioners, to ensure the system “works in practice” by giving the government a stronger role.

These included:

• Observer only – the Crown Commissioner has no vote
• Veto power – the Crown Commissioner can override CTB decisions
• Majority vote – the Crown Commissioner has more than half the votes on the CTB with the remaining votes distributed among mayors

Watts said a “fair and balanced voting system” would ensure both regional and urban interests were represented in decisions about land and water.

The change would mean more efficient services, greater accountability, and smarter use of ratepayer funds, he said.

“This is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It is a framework for regions to design what works best for them with clear expectations that the outcome must be better than what exists today… crucially, it is also not about centralising power. This is about empowering local leaders to lead their own reform.”

“It’s not a power grab,” Bishop said. “This is about making local government fit for purpose.”

As well as taking on the roles of Regional Councils, the boards would have two years from establishment to produce their Regional Reorganisation Plans (RRPs) which would then be assessed against “clear national criteria” before approval by the Local Government Minister.

“Importantly, ministerial approval does not bypass community input,” the discussion document said. “Public consultation by the CTB is required before any plan is finalised.”

The document said the alternative would be to hold a referendum which were “costly and slow” and typically had low voter turnout and a tendency to favour the status quo.

New Zealand has 11 regional councils tasked with resource management including flood protection and air quality, public transport, pest control, civil defence and more.

They were set up as part of the 1989 local government reforms to replace more than 700 local boards and the roles of the former county councils.

The regional councils are separate from the 67 “territorial” authorities – city and district councils – which handle roads, water services, waste and recycling collection, parks and libraries, public safety bylaws.

New Zealand also has six unitary authorities which combine the powers and responsibilities of both a regional council and a territorial authority.

Bishop said the reorganisation plans may end up leading to more unitary authorities. He said there was a “strong lobby” for having more unitary authorities, and many in the local government sector had been calling for local mayors to simply be given the responsibilities of regional councils.

Watts said the changes were “absolutely” consistent with National’s rhetoric around localism and devolution, as the different layers of local governments were often in competition with each other and it would instead mean more streamlined services and more accountability.

Treaty of Waitangi settlement obligations would be carried over.

Existing unitary authorities would have the opportunity to also produce Reorganisation Plans, but would not be required to.

Regional and district boundaries would remain unchanged, at least until further decisions were made under the RRPs.

However, some districts like Rotorua and Taupō have populations in more than one region – so the government proposes two options:

• to either have those areas “adopted” into a neighbouring district, with an option to have those districts able to vote on which neighbouring mayor would represent them
• give these districts a voting share in each of the regional groups they are covered by, with proportionate votes and possibly with local ward councillors to represent them instead of the mayor

The discussion document also noted regional constituencies “including Māori constituencies and general constituencies, would no longer exist”.

“This is because regional councillors themselves would be replaced by the mayors in the region … the mayor of the city or district council would represent voters from the Māori and general rolls.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

A Bay of Plenty kiwifruit worker remains in hospital following a workplace accident yesterday.

Riverlock Packhouse General Manager Blair Simm says the worker was injured while undertaking a routine plant cleaning process.

They were airlifted to Waikato Hospital in a serious condition.

The packhouse, near Ōpōtiki, is not operating today.

The company is working with authorities and Mr Simm says it is focused on supporting the injured staff member, their family and the wider Riverlock team.

Worksafe is investigating the accident.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police have recovered the bodies of an internationally-recognised mountain guide and their client who died in an overnight fall on Aoraki Mt Cook.

The climbers were in a party of four, roped together in pairs, climbing from Empress Hut to the summit when the two fell from the mountain’s west ridge.

Canterbury Aoraki area commander inspector Vicki Walker said the group included two New Zealand mountain guides and two foreign nationals.

She said their bodies were found about 7am and had since been recovered from the mountain with the help of the Department of Conservation.

“We’re working under the jurisdiction of the coroner to return them to their loved ones. Police are contacting the next of kin. Until that process has been completed we won’t be releasing any further information,” she said.

“Most importantly our thoughts are with the clients’ families and friends in the community at this difficult time.”

Police were alerted to four climbers needing help late on Monday night after the two survivors used a device to alert the Rescue Coordination Centre, they said.

Two helicopters were dispatched to begin the search, with the survivors flown from the mountain at 2.15am.

Mountain Safety Council chief executive Mike Daisley said it was a busy mountaineering season.

“Recent fine weather has drawn many mountaineers to the high alpine, with multiple guided and recreational teams summiting Aoraki Mt Cook over the past week,” he said.

“Current conditions on the mountain are considered ideal for mountaineering, with firm overnight snow conditions and well-filled glaciers following early spring snowstorms.”

New Zealand Mountain Guides Association (NZMGA) president Anna Keeling said the guide, who was yet to be formally identified by police, was a respected and valued member.

“They were an integral part of our guiding community. NZMGA’s focus is now on those most affected and our priority is supporting the family, including their partner and children, as well as our wider guiding community during this extremely difficult time,” she said.

A formal investigation would take place, Keeling said.

“There will be an opportunity for the NZMGA to understand and share more about what happened in this tragic accident,” she said.

Three climbers – 56-year-old guide Kurt Blair, 50-year-old Carlos Romero from the United States and an unnamed Canadian guide – died while climbing Aoraki Mt Cook in December 2024.

Daisley said their bodies have not been recovered.

“These mountaineering fatalities are a reminder of the high-consequence environment of our alpine mountains, especially our highest peak,” he said.

“Mountaineering has very little margin for error. Even the most qualified professionals cannot eliminate all risk.”

Police said the two survivors were being offered support.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade directed inquiries to police.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Wellington City Council could save tens of millions of dollars through cost-cutting, such as reducing staff, according to a new report.

In August, the then-new council chief executive Matt Prosser commissioned independent analysis from Deloitte of the council’s processes, and find opportunities to improve its performance and rates affordability.

That report was revealed on Tuesday afternoon, and highlighted issues such as the council’s aging technology, double-handling and ambiguity around the council’s roles and how it differed from central government.

It said through “right shaping” the council workforce and optimising spending through better governance, contract compliance and strategic sourcing, the council could save up to $79 million over three years.

Prosser said some of Deloitte’s recommendations were at odds with the wishes of the community and decisions previously made by the council.

“It’s important we don’t get ahead of the democratic decision processes at the heart of local government.

“We will critically assess everything in the report against the needs and aspirations of our communities.”

He said in the short-term the council would be focused on finding cost savings and making operational improvements.

“Throughout this process our staff will be kept informed, and we will seek their views on the initiatives raised in the report. As is council’s practice, we will also be engaging with the unions.”

The council had removed 58 roles over the past few months, he said.

“We’ve also kicked off a programme to improve our delivery across a number of areas including contract management, procurement and asset management.”

The report said the council had 330 more staff than it should, based on the number of full time employees per 1000 households.

It found that would result in a 18.5 percent reduction in employees and on an average it would save $33.9 million.

‘A flimsy PowerPoint presentation’ – PSA

PSA national secretary Duane Leo said the report was “fundamentally flawed”.

“This is a flimsy PowerPoint presentation that lacks any depth, rigour or even a basic understanding of what the Council’s role is.

“Hidden in the fine print, the report notes that its assumptions need to be validated and shouldn’t be relied upon for decision-making.”

Leo said it was based on crude benchmarking that ignored Wellington City Council provided services many other councils don’t such as social housing, city housing and addressing homelessness.

He said it also did not include that an extra 22,000 people come into the city every day for work.

“You cannot remove one in five positions without serious impacts. Building consent times will blow out. Libraries will have reduced hours. Parks will be less well maintained. Council has already removed 58 roles this year and staff are stretched thin.”

The Deloitte report made note that the council should make more use of AI for tasks such as triaging general enquiry’s from the public, creating reporting on project management and automate workflows.

Leo said the union was concerned about the proposed use of AI.

“Deloitte is assuming AI can deliver productivity gains of up to 50 percent but they haven’t done the work to show replacing experienced staff with ChatGPT would actually deliver those results.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Several flights to and from Tauranga have been cancelled on Tuesday due to volcanic ash from Whakaari – White Island.

GeoNet has the volcano at Alert Level 3, denoting a minor volcanic eruption, and images show a plume of steam and ash reaching over a kilometre high.

Earth Sciences NZ says it’s normal activity and isn’t suggestive of a larger eruption.

At least seven flights to Tauranga that were scheduled to depart from Auckland Airport have been cancelled throughout the day.

Steam from Whakaari also disrupted flights last week.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6385544673112

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Education Minister Erica Stanford are set to face questions as they visit a school.

It comes after a turbulent year for the education sector, with the government pushing through numerous changes, including to the curriculum, which have not always gone down well with teachers and principals.

As RNZ reported recently, more changes were in store for 2026, an election year.

Recent headlines include hundreds of schools opposing the government’s changes to how they should regard the Treaty of Waitangi, the Charter School Agency signing a contract with a trust that did not actually exist and the perennial disputes over pay and conditions.

Luxon and Stanford are expected to speak at 1.45pm from Northcross Intermediate in Brown’s Bay, Auckland. Watch it live at the top of this page.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand