Engagement with Territorial Authorities
The following information has been prepared as a resource to assist sport and recreation organisations work more effectively with territorial local authorities as they implement the consultation, planning, and reporting requirements of the Local Government Act 2002 (LGA 2002).
About Territorial Authorities
There are 86 territorial local authorities (TAs) in New Zealand consisting of:
- 12 regional councils that focus primarily on environmental issues, plus civil defence and transport, but potentially have a broader mandate
- 74 territorial authorities (58 district and 16 city councils) that focus primarily on infrastructure, land use planning and development control and community well-being and development. Four of these councils are unitary authorities i.e. district or city councils that also have the responsibilities, duties and powers of a regional council.
The councils have hugely varied level of resources, such as money and personnel. Some TAs have a rating district with hundreds of people (for example, the Chatham Islands has a population of 780 people) whereas others have hundreds of thousands of people in their city or region. This in turn influences the roles and capabilities of these councils.
About the Local Government Act 2002 and LTCCPs
The Local Government Act 2002 (LGA 2002) was a major shift in emphasis expanding the mandate of TAs from a prescriptive framework of duties (such as roads, rates, and rubbish) to a principles approach where councils have broad scope to act as they deem appropriate. This is framed within their purpose of seeking to promote the current and future economic, social, environmental, and cultural wellbeing of their community and enabling greater community influence on decision-making.
The LGA 2002 introduced a requirement for TAs to identify community outcomes using a process discussed with other stakeholders, and to engage the public to discuss and prioritise those outcomes. There is also encouragement for more work to be done in partnership with other TAs, government agencies and community organisations.
After the identification and prioritisation of outcomes, TAs describe the community outcomes and priorities in their long-term council community plans (LTCCPs) – a ten-year plan (updated at least every three years) of the activities a council will undertake
Opportunities for the Sport and Recreation Sector
The emphasis on community wellbeing and on collaboration to achieve community outcomes means that the potential for sport and recreation has been strengthened. In some regions NSOs already have established partnerships with local authorities. Relationships are likely to evolve over time as NSOs local government and communities become more familiar with the process and look for ways to use it more strategically.
Principles and tips for collaborative work
The following are some tips on how NSOs should go about engaging with local government.
Understand the TA you are approaching
- Develop an ongoing relationship strategy with the TA, not just for “one off” issues
- Talk with the relevant TA Manager before submitting anything
- Know the unique issues/challenges facing the Council and their priorities for investment
- Use the right language/messages/approach that drives the Councillors (eg. North Shore/Economic Development, Waitakere/Community Development, Christchurch/Healthy Lifestyles and Major Events)
- Link into the TA's own Plans – Community Outcomes and LTCCP
When communicating your "whole-of-sport" plans
- Give evidence of a strategic and measured approach
- Show confirmation of local RSO and/or Club buy in
- Identify future national/regional events coming to their region
- Identify Key funding partners – nationally and regionally
Make sure you know about your own sport in the region
- Local RSO capability and sustainability
- Club participation demographics (now), trends (future) and issues
- Degree to which demand meets current facility provision
- Successes and failures - be honest
And if you are proposing a facility development consider
- Evidence of need – reliable and verifiable information
- The different usage options available – such as amalgamation, partnering, multi-use, all weather
- Its relationship to other facilities in the region and neighbouring regions – competing/complementing?
- Other capital funding partners – what are you doing to help yourself?
- Organisational capability to manage the facility
- Financial sustainability – covering all future operational, maintenance and depreciation costs
- Best industry practice
- Benefits to the city/region - researched
Useful websites
Communityoutcomes.govt.nz
Local Government New Zealand’s website has useful information on local government.
Statistics New Zealand - New Zealand’s major source of official statistics.
Statistics by area - Statistics New Zealand has links to community profiles to a local authority level and in some cases down to information on smaller communities as well as online maps, regional statistics and information on urban/rural characteristics.
Updated | 17 Oct 2008.
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