This section includes all sorts of articles, presentations, and blogs from New Zealand and overseas that take a look at local government and where it's going in the future.
This selection showcases different themes within the overall ambit of governance, some focused primarily on the public sector, others exploring changing thinking in the private sector where many institutional investors are now actively requiring firms in which they invest to take proper account of the environmental and social externalities associated with their activities and yet others arguing for a radical change in governance and ownership in order to address issues of inequality. All of these provide insights and point to opportunities for local government and local governance.
Read moreInclusive growth as a concept is assuming increasing importance in public policy, especially because of the extent to which it resonates with a focus on well-being. This section provides a selection of research papers and presentations showcasing aspects of inclusive growth.
Read moreTechnology is an increasingly important part of the environment in which local government functions and which decisions about governance are shaped. This section presents a selection of recent reports showcasing different aspects of the role of technology.
Read moreRethinking how public services are designed and delivered is becoming an important driver for innovation in government, shifting away from the traditional top-down approach to much more of a collaborative way of working, empowering both public servants and the communities they serve. The papers in this section provide overview.
Read moreLocalism is the principle that where ever possible decision-making power should be held within communities and only exercised by councils or government when doing so is generally beyond the scope of a single community or group of communities. These papers provide a good overview, and an evidence-based case. Paradoxically putting communities at the heart of decision-making increases the leadership role and significance of local government.
Read moreThese papers discuss different aspects of participatory democracy as an important means for rebuilding resilient communities. They include an emphasis on the importance of supporting capability development.
Read moreThese papers illustrate how important a place-based approach can be in the management of important social service areas such as health. They will be a useful input for councils thinking about how to implement the restored purpose of promoting community well-being.
Read moreUnderstanding the future of work, and the role which technology will increasingly play, is going to be an important element of planning for and working with communities to achieve employment related well-being objectives. These papers present a range of different perspectives.
Read moreThese papers present a variety of views on the way in which the role of local government is changing, including what this means for the roles of councillors and council staff respectively. Most are based on UK experience but there are clear parallels with how local government in New Zealand will change.
Read moreSome of these papers consider different approaches to the development and use of indicators, others look at practice - from how the Welsh eco-system functions, to locally based initiatives. They reflect what is a very dynamic situation as national governments and local governments respond to quite different demands from what they have been used to as business as usual.
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