Editorial note: Local government in New Zealand exists within a fairly well-defined narrative. New Zealand is the most centralised nation within the OECD. Central government is by far the dominant partner in the central-local relationship and recent innovations in local government have tended towards further centralisation, such as the amalgamation into Auckland’s Super-City. While there...

Designing funding policies to serve all the local and regional councils in New Zealand is challenging. This article looks at some of the issues that arise, and some principles for addressing funding arrangements and for considering whether current local government funding arrangements are suited to the requirements of local governments throughout New Zealand. The need...