Welcome to Newsline
I hope you’ve all had the chance to rest, reconnect, and enjoy what makes our district such a special place. As we settle into 2026, it’s time to look ahead at what’s coming our way.
Just as we wrapped up decisions around Local Water Done Well, the Government announced the most wide-ranging reforms for local government in recent memory. These proposals, if implemented, will reshape local government, and with it, local democracy.
Local government has long needed sensible reform. But the proposed reforms, stacked on top of one another, risk pushing an already stretched sector to breaking point. Reorganising regional government, rates capping, emergency management, resource management, building, local government systems improvements, along with implementation of Local Water Done Well, when viewed together, the scale is unlike anything I’ve seen before.
Our biggest challenge is the increase in these unfunded mandates; reforms that we are required to implement without the funding needed to do so. The Government has signalled that funding for implementing all reforms needs to come from existing council budgets. That leaves ratepayers footing the bill for programmes designed nationally but imposed locally. True reform must recognise the different realities of cities and rural communities and ensure that costs and benefits are shared fairly.
As always, I encourage you to stay engaged and have your say as consultations open. Your input has shaped our district time and again, and it will be just as important as we navigate this period of change.
Until next time, take care.
Mayor Craig Rowley
