Council calls for practical, locally-led reforms in submissions
Invercargill City Council has called for the Government to ensure legislative reforms are led locally, and do not undermine essential community services.
At its meeting on Tuesday, Council approved submissions it planned to make on the government’s proposals to simplify local government and introduce a Rates Target Model throughout the motu, highlighting the need for appropriate resourcing and recognition of the real-world pressures facing New Zealand communities and the local authorities that represented them.
Late last year, the government introduced a flurry of proposed legislative and policy changes to the local government sector. Its proposed series of reform followed an announcement in mid-2025 that the Local Government Commission would investigate the reorganisation of local governance structures within Southland.
Mayor Tom Campbell said elected members in Invercargill welcomed the government’s intention to simplify local government throughout the country and address cost pressures.
“Council absolutely supports reform in the local government space, but the details matter,” he said.
“We support the direction of the reforms proposed, but the settings Government imposes have to reflect how councils actually operate on the ground.”
Council was participating in the Local Government Commission’s review of how local authorities were aligned in Southland. However, its submission asked the government to better align its reform timelines to avoid duplication. In its submission, Council also called for the ability to move more quickly if Southland’s local authorities – Invercargill City, Environment Southland, and the Gore and Southland district councils – unanimously agreed on a way forward for the region.
“If the councils and mayors of Southland are unanimous in what they feel is the best path forward for our communities, we should be allowed to move faster and make decisions that directly impact the people who live in our region. Delaying the process would simply create inefficiency and ultimately increase costs to the communities we serve,” Campbell said.
Council’s submission also emphasised the importance of meaningful mana whenua representation in future governance arrangements and supported locally-appropriate approaches in Southland.
Meanwhile, in its submission on the proposed Rates Target Model, Council acknowledged rising cost-of-living pressures, but warned the proposed model risked preventing councils from maintaining core services and investing in growth. It also felt the proposed model was too complicated, and preferred the government took a simpler approach, Campbell said.
Council’s submission also raised concerns that an unintended consequence of the model could result in the Government being exposed to funding shortfalls for essential infrastructure.
It also reinforced the importance of locally-led decision-making.
“A blunt rates cap could restrict investment in economic, community, and cultural development that our community wants and needs. It’s vital the people of Invercargill and Bluff continue to determine what priorities matter to them – and a one-size-fits-all approach may not be the best mechanism to achieve this,” Campbell said.
Council was committed to working constructively with the Government to refine its proposals, and deliver reforms that better supported local communities, Campbell said.
