Category: Parliament
OPINION: A Failure of Education and a Failure of Governance
Dec 4, 2025 | Cities and Regions, Consultation, Core Services, Council Finances, Council Funding, Council Meetings, Council Spending, Elections, Fixing Councils Series, Global Warming, Government Organisations, Incoming Legislation, Law and Legislation, Local Government Reform, New Zealand Issues, Opinion, Parliament, Professional Managerial Class, Rates Increases
OPINION: Regional Council Reforms Should Focus on Reducing Bureaucracy not Reducing Democracy
Dec 4, 2025 | Amalgamation, Cities and Regions, Consultation, Contractors, Core Services, Council Finances, Council Funding, Council Meetings, Council Spending, Elections, Incoming Legislation, Law and Legislation, Local Government Reform, New Zealand Issues, Opinion, Parliament, Professional Managerial Class, Rates Increases
OPINION: The End of Regional Councils?
Dec 4, 2025 | Amalgamation, Building Consent, Cities and Regions, Consultation, Core Services, Council Spending, Government Organisations, Hamilton City, Housing supply, Incoming Legislation, Infrastructure, Law and Legislation, Local Government Reform, Mode Shift, New Zealand Issues, Opinion, Parliament, Professional Managerial Class, Property Rights, Regulations, Resource Management Act (RMA), Safety and Well-being
OPINION: LGNZ is Confusing Myth and Truth (Part 2)
Sep 3, 2025 | Auckland City, Climate Change and Weather, Core Services, Council Debt, Council Finances, Council Funding, Council Spending, Global Agendas, Global Warming, Hamilton City, Hostile Architecture, Incoming Legislation, International, International Organisation, Internet of Things, Kaipara District, Law and Legislation, LGNZ, Mode Shift, New Zealand Issues, Opinion, Parliament, Professional Managerial Class, Property Rights, Protest, Rates Increases, Regulations, Road Pricing and Congestion Charges, Smart Cities (+ 20-minute Cities), Surveillance, Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), Traffic Calming, Transport and Roading, UN 2030 Agenda, United Nations, Water Meters, WEF, Wellington City
OPINION: LGNZ is Confusing Myth and Truth (Part 1)
Jul 31, 2025 | Arts and Cultural, Auckland City, Core Services, Council Debt, Council Funding, Council Spending, Hamilton City, Hostile Architecture, Incoming Legislation, Law and Legislation, LGFA, LGNZ, New Zealand Issues, Official Information Act, Opinion, Parliament, Protest, Rates Increases, Rubbish, Sports and Events, Three Waters, Traffic Calming, Transport and Roading, Water Meters, Wellington City, Whanganui District
OPINION: Six Major Reasons to Oppose Road Pricing
Apr 22, 2025 | Article, Auckland City, Christchurch City, Consultation, Council Debt, Council Funding, Hamilton City, Incoming Legislation, Internet of Things, Law and Legislation, Mode Shift, New Zealand Issues, Opinion, Parliament, Petitions, Protest, Road Pricing and Congestion Charges, Smart Cities (+ 20-minute Cities), Surveillance, Taking Action, Tauranga City, Toll Roads, Transport and Roading, Wellington City
OPINION: Commentary on the Time of Use Charging Amendment Bill
Mar 31, 2025 | Auckland City, Consultation, Council Funding, Incoming Legislation, Internet of Things, Law and Legislation, New Zealand Issues, Opinion, Parliament, Road Pricing and Congestion Charges, Smart Cities (+ 20-minute Cities), Surveillance, Taking Action, Tauranga City, Transport and Roading
Parliament
PopularOPINION: LGNZ is Confusing Myth and Truth (Part 1)
Jul 31, 2025 | Arts and Cultural, Auckland City, Core Services, Council Debt, Council Funding, Council Spending, Hamilton City, Hostile Architecture, Incoming Legislation, Law and Legislation, LGFA, LGNZ, New Zealand Issues, Official Information Act, Opinion, Parliament, Protest, Rates Increases, Rubbish, Sports and Events, Three Waters, Traffic Calming, Transport and Roading, Water Meters, Wellington City, Whanganui District
By John McDonald (CityWatch NZ Editor and Hamilton East Ward Candidate) Local Government New...
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OPINION: LGNZ is Confusing Myth and Truth (Part 2)
Sep 3, 2025 | Auckland City, Climate Change and Weather, Core Services, Council Debt, Council Finances, Council Funding, Council Spending, Global Agendas, Global Warming, Hamilton City, Hostile Architecture, Incoming Legislation, International, International Organisation, Internet of Things, Kaipara District, Law and Legislation, LGNZ, Mode Shift, New Zealand Issues, Opinion, Parliament, Professional Managerial Class, Property Rights, Protest, Rates Increases, Regulations, Road Pricing and Congestion Charges, Smart Cities (+ 20-minute Cities), Surveillance, Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), Traffic Calming, Transport and Roading, UN 2030 Agenda, United Nations, Water Meters, WEF, Wellington City
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OPINION: The End of Regional Councils?
Dec 4, 2025 | Amalgamation, Building Consent, Cities and Regions, Consultation, Core Services, Council Spending, Government Organisations, Hamilton City, Housing supply, Incoming Legislation, Infrastructure, Law and Legislation, Local Government Reform, Mode Shift, New Zealand Issues, Opinion, Parliament, Professional Managerial Class, Property Rights, Regulations, Resource Management Act (RMA), Safety and Well-being
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Consultation Closes on 20 January 2026: “Simplifying Local Government” Proposed Reforms of Regional Councils
Dec 4, 2025 | Amalgamation, Article, Buller District, Christchurch City, Cities, Consultation, Core Services, Council Finances, Council Meetings, Dunedin City, Elections, Far North District, Government Organisations, Greater Wellington Region, Hamilton City, Hutt City, Incoming Legislation, Invercargill City, Kaipara District, Kapiti Coast District, Law and Legislation, Local Government Reform, New Plymouth District, New Zealand Issues, News, Palmerston North City, Parliament, Porirua City, Public Transport, Rail, Rangitīkei District, Regions, Regulations, Resource Management Act (RMA), Tauranga City, Upper Hutt City, Waikato Region, Waipa District, Wellington City, Whanganui District
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OPINION: Regional Council Reforms Should Focus on Reducing Bureaucracy not Reducing Democracy
Dec 4, 2025 | Amalgamation, Cities and Regions, Consultation, Contractors, Core Services, Council Finances, Council Funding, Council Meetings, Council Spending, Elections, Incoming Legislation, Law and Legislation, Local Government Reform, New Zealand Issues, Opinion, Parliament, Professional Managerial Class, Rates Increases
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Parliament
LatestOPINION: NZ’s $2.5 billion shoddy building bill: how to fix the ‘build now, fix later’ culture
Mar 3, 2026 | Building Consent, Contractors, Government Organisations, High-density Housing, Housing supply, Incoming Legislation, Law and Legislation, Local Government Reform, New Zealand Issues, News, Opinion, Parliament, Professional Managerial Class, Regulations, Social problems
[Originally published 02 February 2026 on The Conversation] By Mark Kirby, Construction Industry...
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Consultation Closes 27 February 2026: “Inquiry into the 2025 Local Elections”
Feb 23, 2026 | Auckland 2025, Auckland City, Buller District, Christchurch 2025, Christchurch City, Cities, Cities and Regions, Consultation, Contractors, Direct Democracy, Dunedin 2025, Dunedin City, Elections, Far North District, Freedom of Expression, Government Organisations, Greater Wellington Region, Hamilton 2025, Hamilton City, Hutt City, Invercargill City, Kaipara District, Kapiti Coast District, Law and Legislation, Nelson City, New Plymouth District, New Zealand Issues, News, Palmerston North City, Parliament, Porirua City, Rangitīkei District, Regions, Regulations, Taking Action, Tauranga City, Upper Hutt City, Waikato Region, Waipa District, Wellington 2025, Wellington City, Whanganui District
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Consultation Closes 08 January 2026: “Building and Construction Sector” Amendment Bills
Dec 11, 2025 | Auckland City, Building Consent, Buller District, Christchurch City, Cities, Cities and Regions, Code of Conduct complaints, Consultation, Contractors, Core Services, Data-driven, Dunedin City, Far North District, Freedom of Expression, Government Organisations, Greater Wellington Region, Hamilton City, Housing supply, Hutt City, Incoming Legislation, Infrastructure, Invercargill City, Kaipara District, Kapiti Coast District, Law and Legislation, Local Government Reform, Nelson City, New Plymouth District, New Zealand Issues, News, Palmerston North City, Parliament, Porirua City, Rangitīkei District, Regions, Regulations, Resource Management Act (RMA), Smart Cities (+ 20-minute Cities), Surveillance, Taking Action, Tauranga City, Upper Hutt City, Waikato Region, Waipa District, Whanganui District
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OPINION: A Failure of Education and a Failure of Governance
Dec 4, 2025 | Cities and Regions, Consultation, Core Services, Council Finances, Council Funding, Council Meetings, Council Spending, Elections, Fixing Councils Series, Global Warming, Government Organisations, Incoming Legislation, Law and Legislation, Local Government Reform, New Zealand Issues, Opinion, Parliament, Professional Managerial Class, Rates Increases
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OPINION: Regional Council Reforms Should Focus on Reducing Bureaucracy not Reducing Democracy
Dec 4, 2025 | Amalgamation, Cities and Regions, Consultation, Contractors, Core Services, Council Finances, Council Funding, Council Meetings, Council Spending, Elections, Incoming Legislation, Law and Legislation, Local Government Reform, New Zealand Issues, Opinion, Parliament, Professional Managerial Class, Rates Increases
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OPINION: The End of Regional Councils?
Dec 4, 2025 | Amalgamation, Building Consent, Cities and Regions, Consultation, Core Services, Council Spending, Government Organisations, Hamilton City, Housing supply, Incoming Legislation, Infrastructure, Law and Legislation, Local Government Reform, Mode Shift, New Zealand Issues, Opinion, Parliament, Professional Managerial Class, Property Rights, Regulations, Resource Management Act (RMA), Safety and Well-being
Additional Posts
OPINION: Serious Mismanagement and Lack of Accountability with Water Services
Mar 31, 2025 | Core Services, Council Debt, Council Finances, Council Funding, Council Spending, Hamilton City, Incoming Legislation, Kaipara District, Law and Legislation, LGFA, Local Government Reform, New Zealand Issues, Opinion, Parliament, Protest, Rates Increases, Three Waters, Water Meters, Wellington City
By John McDonald (CityWatch NZ Editor and 2024 Hamilton East Ward By-election Candidate) With...
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