Local Government (Community Well-being) Amendment Bill – what it means for the Recreation Sector.

In the last month, NZRA has advocated in favour of the Local Government (Community Well-being) Amendment Bill, both as a written submission and in-person at Parliaments Governance and Administration Select Committee hearings.

NZRA supports the notion that local government has a major role in enhancing the wellbeing of their communities. As such, we support amending the Local Government Act to restore the purpose of local government to promote the economic, social, environmental and cultural wellbeing of communities. Which is a wider remit than is currently the case. We note that Local Territorial Authorities are the major provider of New Zealand’s recreation facilities, so it is appropriate that they are mandated and recognised for that role.

The other exciting component of the amendment Bill is that it will restore Councils ability to collect development contributions for amenities such as sports grounds, swimming pools and trails. It is our hope that this will ease the growing pains of many Local Territorial Authorities and allow for greater provision of local recreational assets within new communities.

The Select Committee is due to report back to the House in October. We look forward to its second reading.

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