The Future for Local Government Review has now been completed.
The Future for Local Government FFLG Review is an independent Ministerial review established in April 2021 (under the then Labour-led government) to consider how Aotearoa New Zealand's system of local democracy and governance will need to evolve over the next 30 years to improve the wellbeing of everyone in the country, and actively embody the Treaty of Waitangi partnership.
The FFLG is a review and has not yet evolved to become reform. The review provided recommendations to the Minister of Local Government in June 2023 and now the Government will need to determine how to progress this further.
Read the final recommendations report - He piki tūranga, he piki kōtuku, The future for local government - (PDF, 4.8 MB)
Our feedback to the Future For Local Government review panel
Submission to the draft recommendations report "He mata whāriki, he matawhānui" closed 28 February 2023:
- Full written submission to the Future For Local Government Review Panel - February 2023 - (PDF, 944 KB)
Submissions to the interim report "Ārewa ake te Kaupapa" closed 30 June 2022:
Why is this reform important for Whakatāne District Council, our people and communities?
In 2021 Central Government established the ‘Future for Local Government (FFLG) Review’. The review aims to ensure that local government is well placed to support thriving communities well into the future. The review could fundamentally transform the local government system in Aotearoa New Zealand, including for example the future roles, responsibilities and functions of councils.
The review has been triggered partly by the reforms of 'Three Waters' and of the 'Resource Management Act' meaning the sector will certainly face substantial change, but also by major challenges and opportunities facing the future of New Zealand.
Over the next 30 years, the country will change a great deal. It will have a larger, more diverse population. Technology will change the way people live, work, move around, do business, and relate to each other. Climate change will require us to adapt and reshape our economy and lives. The Treaty of Waitangi partnership will move into a new phase with an increasing focus on enduring, mutually beneficial relationships. Local government plays a key role in supporting community wellbeing at the local level. The review is about ensuring local government continues to be well placed to support communities to thrive into the future.