A sweeping review of local government has been announced. Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta says it will look at what local government does, how, and how it pays for it.
Already the government is planning to remove councils of their core responsibilities through the three water and resource management reforms.
This as councils across the country are crying out for more funding to allow them to get on with the job. So just what will the review achieve, and how?
Jim Palmer is a retired Waimakariri District Council chair, and will chair the group leading the review, Stuart Crosby is the president of Local Govt New Zealand, and Jo Miller is the chief executive of Hutt City Council.