Articles in ‘Local Government’

The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance is challenging Mayor Wayne Brown’s misleading claim that a rates cap would only save Auckland households the equivalent of a can of baked beans a month. Josh Van Veen, spokesman for the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance, says: *“The numbers simply do not lie. In Auckland, average residential rates went up 20.9 percent between 2022 and 2025, from $2,992 to $3,617.33. A 2-4 percent rates cap would have saved the…

The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance is demanding a full breakdown of Mayor Wayne Brown’s historic 7.9 percent rates increase.On Monday, the council’s Budget and Performance Committee approved the mayoral proposal for public consultation early next year. Earlier this month, the Ratepayers’ Alliance challenged Mayor Brown’s claim that the planned 7.9 percent rates rise is due to the cost of running the City Rail Link (CRL). Auckland Ratepayers’…

It is too hard and costly to get things built in New Zealand, and the Resource Management Act is a big reason why. So, we are scrapping it and replacing it with a new planning system built on the idea of private property rights. **The new planning system will save ratepayers and taxpayers $13.3b by only regulating what is necessary and reducing the number of consents by up to 46% every year.** The economic benefits of this new system are…

The government has announced a plan to cap annual council rate hikes at four percent by 2029, arguing that households cannot keep absorbing steep increases from local authorities. Labour has come out firmly against the cap, positioning itself on the opposite side of the issue to most ratepayers. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said ratepayers are being forced to tighten their belts while many councils continue to spend on “nice-to-haves…

New Zealand’s Supreme Court has ruled that four Uber drivers who challenged their status are employees, not contractors. The ruling applies only to the four drivers who brought the case, but it opens the door for thousands of contractors with a single dominant platform or employer to argue they are, in fact, employees entitled to minimum wage, guaranteed hours, paid leave, and the right to bring personal grievances. The case stems from a 2022…

After years of denouncing ACT and its bills as racist and colonial, newly independent MPs Takuta Ferris and Mariameno Kapa Kingi have suddenly reversed their votes to back ACT’s Medicines Amendment Bill in the House. After initially voting against their former party, Te Pāti Māori, both MPs stood in the House to “correct” the record, insisting the anti-bill votes had been cast by mistake. The Greens say that their explanation is simply not…

Labour leader Chris Hipkins says he’s comfortable being called a socialist, arguing New Zealand needs “a more active role for the state” to tackle what he sees as excessive profits by supermarkets, banks and energy companies. Speaking to RNZ’s 30 with Guyon Espiner, Hipkins praised New York’s newly elected socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani, saying his win reflected global frustration with capitalism. Hipkins said the “economic system isn’t…