Ashburton council ‘finds value’ in LGNZ
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Ashburton has no plans to ditch its membership to Local Government NZ after a councillor raised questions about its benefits.
Local Government NZ represents councils around New Zealand, but some major regions have cut their membership including Christchurch and Auckland councils.
Following reports on attending the recent Local Government NZ (LGNZ) conference in Wellington from councillors Carolyn Cameron and Richard Wilson, councillor Tony Todd (pictured) put it to his fellow councillors if Ashburton needed to remain a member of LGNZ.
“In my experience is that LGNZ seems to be a rather left-leaning organisation,” Todd said last week.
“I start thinking to myself with Auckland pulling out, Christchurch pulling out, and one or two other councils, do we get benefit in belonging to this organisation?”
In his report, Wilson said the conferences are an “opportunity to understand other councils’ issues and learn how they are solving them”.
He also noted that “LGNZ appears to have political views which are at odds with the coalition Government” – which is the statement that triggered Todd’s question.
In response to Todd's question on membership, Wilson said his only concern was that LGNZ was missing the voice of about 2 million people after Auckland and Christchurch pulled out.
The conference provided an opportunity to talk to other councillors and to speak to the decision-makers from various Government organisations and ministries that attend.
“It is quite a lot to us, as a small council, because we can be one voice talking to the biggest brains in the land.”
Mayor Neil Brown said the annual conferences were “enlightening” as the interaction and conversations with other councils are beneficial.
“I find it very valuable.”
Chief executive Hamish Riach said you risk becoming quite insular by not being a member of an industry organisation.
“You don’t see anyone to challenge you or give you new ideas.
“There is certainly value in conversations with colleagues to help you think about things a little differently.”
The annual conference is one part of the paid membership, with quarterly zone meetings, training opportunities, and updates on central and local government changes, Riach said.
“If we weren’t a member, I think we would have less information and less understanding of where [central] Government and local government is placed.”
Todd was “more than happy with the answers” provided in response to his question.
“I just had to ask the question,” he said.
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
-
61.7% Summer
-
36.6% Winter
-
1.7% Other - I'll share below
Loading…
