Regulations

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

Summary On 25 November 2025, the Minister of Local Government Simon Watts and Minster of RMA...

OPINION: When Will Someone Say STOP?

Aug 18, 2025 | Council Debt, Council Finances, Council Meetings, Council Spending, Hamilton 2025, Hamilton City, Health and Safety, Libraries and Museums, Mode Shift, Opinion, Parks and Reserves, Public Transport, Rates Increases, Regulations, Smart Cities (+ 20-minute Cities), Sports and Events, Traffic Calming, Transport and Roading

By Graeme Mead (Hamilton West Ward Candidate) It’s election year in Hamilton, and the question...

Consultation Closes 27 August 2025: “Local Government (System Improvements) Amendment Bill”

Aug 10, 2025 | Arts and Cultural, Auckland City, Buller District, Christchurch City, Cities, Cities and Regions, Code of Conduct complaints, Consultation, Core Services, Council Finances, Council Funding, Council Meetings, Council Spending, Developer Contributions, Dunedin City, Far North District, Freedom of Expression, Greater Wellington Region, Hamilton City, Hutt City, Incoming Legislation, 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, Parks and Reserves, Porirua City, Rangitīkei District, Regions, Regulations, Safety and Well-being, Sports and Events, Taking Action, Tauranga City, Upper Hutt City, Voting Record, Waikato Region, Waipa District, Whanganui District

The Local Government (System Improvements) Amendment Bill is currently before Parliament. Public...

OPINION: Free Tickets and Foggy Justifications

Aug 8, 2025 | Arts and Cultural, Council Spending, Hamilton 2025, Hamilton City, Opinion, Regulations, Sports and Events

By Graeme Mead (Hamilton West Ward Candidate) Why Ratepayers Deserve Transparency Hamilton...

OPINION: Water is Life – But Can You Afford It?

Aug 1, 2025 | Core Services, Council Debt, Council Finances, Council Funding, Council Spending, Developer Contributions, Hamilton 2025, Hamilton City, Opinion, Rates Increases, Regulations, Three Waters

By Michael West (Engineer and Hamilton West Ward Candidate) Reproduced with permission from Better...

Concerns that areas of Hamilton are “wastewater network constrained”

Apr 30, 2025 | Core Services, Council Meetings, Council Spending, Developer Contributions, Hamilton City, Health and Safety, High-density Housing, Housing supply, News, Opinion, Pollution, Protest, Regulations, Resource Management Act (RMA), Safety and Well-being, Smart Cities (+ 20-minute Cities), Three Waters, Voting Record

On the 8th of April 2025, Hamilton City Council held a Strategic Growth and District Plan...

OPEN LETTER: Colin Jones – Formal complaint against Hamilton City Council Mayor and CEO

Apr 30, 2025 | Building Consent, Core Services, Hamilton City, Housing supply, Law and Legislation, Open Letters, Opinion, Regulations, Resource Management Act (RMA), Three Waters

Colin Jones supplied CityWatch NZ with a copy of this complaint against Hamilton City Council...

OPINION: Ask Not What Your Council Can Do For You, But What It Can Do TO You.

Apr 29, 2025 | Building Consent, Consultation, Contractors, Council Funding, Council Spending, Hamilton City, Heritage buildings, Law and Legislation, New Zealand Issues, Opinion, Plan Change, Property Rights, Regulations, Resource Management Act (RMA)

By Jean Dorrell (Hamilton ratepayer and retired accountant) Until 2022 it had never occurred to me...

Plan Change 9: Kāinga Ora appeals against large blocks of Hamilton becoming Historic Heritage Areas

Apr 29, 2025 | Building Consent, Court case, Hamilton City, Heritage buildings, High-density Housing, Housing supply, Law and Legislation, News, Property Rights, Regulations, Resource Management Act (RMA), Taking Action

Government housing provider, Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities, is challenging areas in many...

OPEN LETTER: “HeritageGate” – The Problems with Hamilton’s Plan Change 9

Apr 29, 2025 | Building Consent, Contractors, Government Organisations, Hamilton City, Heritage buildings, Law and Legislation, Open Letters, Opinion, Property Rights, Regulations, Resource Management Act (RMA)

Hamilton City Council has been imposing heritage designations on properties as part of Plan Change...

OPINION: Eager Beavers Beat Government Experts

Feb 28, 2025 | Consultation, Government Organisations, Law and Legislation, Local Government Reform, New Zealand Issues, News, Opinion, Professional Managerial Class, Regulations, Resource Management Act (RMA), Taking Action

By Andrew Bydder, Hamilton City Councillor Photo: Fritz Geller-Grimm, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA...

CITYWATCH NZ

Category: Regulations

Duncan Garner Podcast: ‘We’re Going Backwards’ – Firefighters Sound The Alarm On Pay, Resources

OPINION: Is the Government Letting the Foxes Guard the Henhouse with Infrastructure Spending?

Supreme Court rules in favour of landowners in Mt Messenger Bypass dispute

OPINION: LGNZ is Confusing Myth and Truth (Part 2)

Newsroom covers the Building Nations conference and “the great privatisation”

OPEN LETTER: John McDonald’s Feedback on the Public Works (Critical Infrastructure) Amendment Bill

Hamilton City Council votes to fund work towards creating new multi-council finance company

Hamilton City Council votes to reject increasing its debt-to-revenue limit to 350%

KPMG International Publication – “The Great Reset: Emerging trends in infrastructure and transport”

OPINION: Is the Government Letting the Foxes Guard the Henhouse with Infrastructure Spending?

New York Governor and the “Feds” clash over Manhattan’s new congestion charges

OPINION: LGNZ is Confusing Myth and Truth (Part 2)

Duncan Garner Podcast: ‘We’re Going Backwards’ – Firefighters Sound The Alarm On Pay, Resources

KPMG International Publication – “The Great Reset: Emerging trends in infrastructure and transport”

Consultation Closes 08 January 2026: “Land Transport (Revenue) Amendment Bill”

Hamilton City Council votes to reject increasing its debt-to-revenue limit to 350%

Regulations

Duncan Garner Podcast: ‘We’re Going Backwards’ – Firefighters Sound The Alarm On Pay, Resources

OPINION: Is the Government Letting the Foxes Guard the Henhouse with Infrastructure Spending?

Supreme Court rules in favour of landowners in Mt Messenger Bypass dispute

Consultation Closes 27 February 2026: “Inquiry into the 2025 Local Elections”

Additional Posts

Consultation Closes on 20 January 2026: “Simplifying Local Government” Proposed Reforms of Regional Councils

OPINION: When Will Someone Say STOP?

Consultation Closes 27 August 2025: “Local Government (System Improvements) Amendment Bill”

OPINION: Free Tickets and Foggy Justifications

OPINION: Water is Life – But Can You Afford It?

Concerns that areas of Hamilton are “wastewater network constrained”

OPINION: Eager Beavers Beat Government Experts

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