Local government in New Zealand facts for kids
New Zealand is a country where the main central government has the most power. It's like the central government creates the local areas, instead of the local areas creating the central government. This means local councils in New Zealand only have the powers that the Parliament gives them.
Compared to some other countries, local councils in New Zealand have fewer powers. For example, the police and schools are managed by the central government. Local councils can choose to help with low-cost housing, but they don't have to.
As of 2017[update], New Zealand has 78 local authorities. These are different councils for regions, cities, and districts across the country.
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What Local Government Does
Local government is all about helping communities. Its main goals are:
- To let people in a community make decisions for themselves.
- To make sure communities have good things like roads, water pipes, and other services.
- To make rules that help the community, all while being good value for money.
How Local Government is Set Up
New Zealand's local government has two main levels, like two different types of councils.
Regional Councils
The top level has 11 regional councils. These councils look after bigger areas called regions. They often deal with things like managing natural resources, public transport, and controlling floods.
City and District Councils
The second level has 67 territorial authorities. These are smaller councils that look after cities and districts.
- There are 13 city councils, including the Auckland Council.
- There are 53 district councils.
- The Chatham Islands Council is a special council for those islands.
Some councils are called "unitary authorities." This means they do the jobs of both a regional council and a territorial authority. There are five of these in New Zealand. Most councils are completely inside one region, but a few cross over into different regions.
Inside many city and district councils, there are also "community boards." These are the smallest and least powerful part of local government.
How Councils are Chosen
People living in each region, city, or district get to vote for who they want on their council. The way people vote can be different for each council. Councils can choose to use either the "first past the post" system or the "single transferable vote" system.
A Brief History of Local Government
When European settlers first came to New Zealand, they divided the country into different provinces. But in 1876, these provinces were removed. The government wanted to have more control from the centre, mainly because of money problems.
Because of this, New Zealand doesn't have big separate areas like states or territories. Instead, local councils manage different parts of the country. Even though the provinces are gone, people still remember them for things like regional public holidays and sports rivalries.
Big Changes in 1989
In 1989, the central government made big changes to local government. This is when the current two-level system of regions and territorial authorities was created. A new law called the Resource Management Act 1991 also became important for how local councils plan and manage land.
Auckland's "Super-City"
The Auckland Council is the newest big local authority. It was created on November 1, 2010. This new council brought together the old regional council and seven city and district councils in the Auckland area into one large "super-city" council. This made Auckland one of the five unitary authorities in New Zealand.
