A Guide to the Local Government Act 2002

Author(s): Vivienne Wilson

NZ Non Fiction

This book provids a succinct overview of New Zealand's new local government regime, complete with the text of the Local Government Act 2002 for ease of reference. Local authorities in New Zealand have always gained their powers from highly prescriptive legislation. Statutes, from specific local Acts to general public Acts, have set out in detail what local authorities must do, what they can do, and even how they do things. The traditional prescriptive approach of the 1974 Act has been replaced by a principled approach. The new 2002 Act removes much of the detail about what councils can and cannot do by conferring a generalised power on all local authorities to have full capacity to do anything for the purpose of performing their role. That role is generalised as performing statutory responsibilities and giving effect, in their locality, to the purpose of local government. That purpose is to promote the social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of communities, to make democratic decisions by and on behalf of those communities, in a sustainable way. The emphasis is away from local authorities as autonomous and discreet deliverers of services and towards responsive, collaborative facilitators of community outcomes. This new statutory purpose of local government underpins the more profound change. There are many other changes including important new provisions for funding infrastructure through development contributions. It is important to know that some of the existing detail in the 1974 Act remains in force in areas too complex to be reformed in the timeframe of the Local Government Act reform. This includes Parts on roads, waste management and land drainage. The Local Government Act 2002 represents a major change to the statutory basis of local government. This guide is an important starting point for working through the transitions and understanding the overall scope of the Act.

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Product Information

General Fields

  • : 9780864724502
  • : brknz
  • : brknz
  • : 235x150mm
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Vivienne Wilson
  • : Hardback
  • : 351pp