Reduction In Numbers Of Local Bodies Urged

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29765, 7 March 1962, Page 14

Reduction In Numbers Of Local Bodies Urged

( N.Z. Press Association) AUCKLAND, March 6. Either local government must abdicate in favour of central government or it must be adapted to meet the needs of the times, said the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr Gotz) when he opened the Municipal Association’s annual conference in Auckland tonight.

“I am sure only the one alternative is acceptable,” he said. "But I venture to suggest that if the population of New Zealand doubles in the next 40 years, and present trends are permitted to continue during this period—end they will unless faced up to realistically—territorial local authorities, as we know them, will have ceased to be a force in the government of the country.” Mr Gotz said he was firmly convinced that regional local government offered the only solution to the problems besetting local administration today. 'There is nothing novel in the application of regional focal government, either by way of all-purpose or twotier regional authorities,” he said. “A two-tier system was first mooted in New Zealand more than 70 years ago.” Nothing had been done in the last 85 years to keep territorial local government structure abreast of population growth, and a consequent rapid expansion of the economy.

"On the contrary, during a period when we should have been consolidating, we have fragmented our territorial structure and established ever-increasing numbers of ad hoc authorities." he said. “Clearly, we have too many local authorities today—a large number of them too small and too weak financial-

ly. Economic development is already outstripping the capacity of many local authorities to deal with it."

Planning in the main was not co-ordinated, and the average citizen was apathetic. “Is it any wonder the layman is apathetic?” asked Mr Gotz. "The layman is bewildered by the number of local authorities which have jurisdiction over the area in which he lives. He is faced with competing demands for money from them all. He is confused by differences of opinion between them.” As a result local govem-

ment today stood at the crossroads. “We must decide whether we are going to carry on repeating the mistakes of the past, or plan and reorganise to meet the future.” The Local Government Commission Act, passed last session, should help in the urgent task of reorganising local body structure. "I think we have an act here which should be acceptable to local authorities, and at the same time enable the Local Government Commission to make some progress,” Mr Gotz said.