What is Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ)?
Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) is a membership body for councils in New Zealand, and they describe themselves with the line “We are local democracy’s vision and voice”.
“We are Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ), a membership body for Aotearoa’s councils/kaunihera, and we provide that perspective and representation.
We’ve been around since 1988 to represent councils/kaunihera and to lead best practice in the local government sector. Today, we advocate for local government across the country, we support elected members to be more effective, and we help communities participate in local democracy.
Our purpose is to champion, connect and support local government.”
LGNZ’s “Who are we” webpage
Most council’s in New Zealand are currently members of LGNZ and pay an annual membership fee to the organisation. LGNZ provides a number of consultancy services, including “best practice guidance, business solutions, and governance and management support” and claim to help councils “bring in and retain the best talent” for local government executive roles.
For the 2024 year, LGNZ reported an annual revenue of $8,963,070. Just over $4,000,000 of that revenue came from council subscription fees and $1,233,399 was identified as “Annual Conference Income”.
LGNZ advocates for a number of issues; sending submissions into central government and lobbying politicians. LGNZ describes their role with the line “We champion the things that matter most as one strong national voice”.
LGNZ Annual Report 2023/24 Page 9
Which councils have left LGNZ?
Since Auckland Council exited LGNZ in 2023, a number of other councils have either left LGNZ or have voted to leave LGNZ.
Councils that have already left LGNZ include:
- Auckland Council.
- Christchurch City Council.
- West Coast Regional Council.
- Grey District Council.
- Kaipara District Council.
- Westland District Council
- Western Bay of Plenty District Council.
In June 2025, Waikato Regional Council also voted to leave LGNZ. This would have made the Waikato Regional Council the eighth council to leave LGNZ. However, in late July the decision to leave was revoked in a split vote, with the Chair reported to have broken the tie in favour of remaining with LGNZ.
Why have councils left LGNZ?
As Auckland Council was voting to leave LGNZ in 2023, Mayor Wayne Brown was cutting council expenditure and targeted the “$350,000 in LGNZ subscription fees”. He also argued that leaving LGNZ would provide Auckland Council the ability to directly engage with ministers, rather than having ministers consult LGNZ.
When Christchurch City Council voted to leave LGNZ in 2024, the “$163,254.75 plus GST” annual cost of LGNZ membership was discussed, with a recent $20,000 increase in the membership costs being mentioned.
As Western Bay of Plenty District Council voted to leave LGNZ in 2025, Councillor Tracey Coxhead described LGNZ as lacking professionalism and that the organisation needed to be non-partisan.
Saving the “annual $122,000 membership fee” and LGNZ’s “left-leaning approached [sic] that hindered cooperation with central government” and were mentioned in the coverage of the July 2025 vote by Waikato Regional Council to leave LGNZ. According to Farmers’ Weekly, Councillor Chris Hughes opposed staying with LGNZ “saying he did not believe the council was getting value for money in its membership”.
Quotes
Waikato Regional Council voted 6–5 to exit LGNZ and save an annual $122,000 membership fee.
The councils follow in the footsteps of Auckland – on mayor Wayne Brown’s casting vote, Kaipara District, Christchurch City, the West Coast Regional, Grey District, Westland District and Western Bay of Plenty District councils.
Waikato Regional Council strategy and policy chair Warren Maher said LGNZ focussed too much on district issues and took a left-leaning approached that hindered cooperation with central government.
Mary Anne Gill, LGNZ goes eight down, Te Awamuntu News, 17 July 2025
“Its focus is on education and professionalism. I feel that professionalism is lacking from LGNZ.”
LGNZ needed to be non-partisan and, in her view, presentations at its 2024 conference were “largely, although not entirely, pushing a certain agenda, for example, only one narrative on climate change”.
“LGNZ is ignoring the sentiment of a large proportion of the membership.”
Six of LGNZ’s 18 submissions in the past year did not represent her views, Coxhead said.
Councillor Tracey Coxhead as quoted and paraphrased by RNZ in Council quits Local Government New Zealand calling it ‘far left’, 20 March 2025
Auckland council would save about $350,000 in LGNZ subscription fees by leaving, LGNZ said, though Brown said the council would save $650,000 from its budget. However the national body said it the exit could cost Auckland $1.1 million more each year on its streetlights’ power bill as an LGNZ streetlighting programme would no longer extend to Auckland.
All other local councils in the country belonged to the body.
Auckland Local Government New Zealand exit ‘expensive and rash’, critics say, RNZ, 24 March 2023, RNZ
Brown said the $650,000 cost to the council discussed had included the $350,000 LGNZ membership fee, costs for people to travel to meetings, and the cost of staff time managing the relationship with LGNZ: “It’s not as if being a member doesn’t require more work within council,” he said.
Mayor Wayne Brown as quoted and paraphrased by RNZ in Auckland Local Government New Zealand exit ‘expensive and rash’, critics say, 24 March 2023.
Brown said he and his band once played a gig for an LGNZ conference and he was not impressed with what he saw – claiming members were “completely pissed, all night long” with no benefit to ratepayers.
He viewed leaving as an easy cut, saying it gave Local Government Minister Kieran McAnulty too much power over the council.
“It makes it really easy for [the minister] to dispense with consultation, by going to a meeting of mayors in Wellington and making a one-hour speech,” he said.
Mayor Wayne Brown as quoted and paraphrased by Finn Blackwell in Auckland Council votes to leave Local Government New Zealand, RNZ, 23 March 2023, RNZ
Article Details
Headline: LGNZ goes eight down
Author: Mary Anne Gill
Published on: 17 July 2025
Published by: Te Awamuntu News
Link: https://www.teawamutunews.nz/2025/07/lgnz-goes-eight-down/
Headline: Another council pulls out of Local Government NZ
Published on: 10 July 2025
Published by: Farmers Weekly
Link: https://www.farmersweekly.co.nz/politics/another-council-pulls-out-of-local-government-nz/
Headline: Council quits Local Government New Zealand calling it ‘far left’
Published on: 20 March 2025
Published by: RNZ
Headline: Christchurch councillors decide to exit LGNZ
Published on: 19 June 2024
Published by: RNZ
Link: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/520021/christchurch-councillors-decide-to-exit-lgnz
Headline: Auckland Local Government New Zealand exit ‘expensive and rash’, critics say
Published on: 24 March 2023
Published by: RNZ
Headline: Auckland Council votes to leave Local Government New Zealand
Author: Finn Blackwell
Published on: 23 March 2023
Published by: RNZ
[Edited 31/07/2025 to cover July 2025 vote to revoke Waikato Regional Councils decision to leave LGNZ, along with quote from Farmers’ Weekly]
