Submission on the Local Government (System Improvements) Amendment Bill
Recreation Aotearoa welcomed the opportunity to submit on the Local Government (System Improvements) Amendment Bill.
Overview of general comments
Recreation Aotearoa supports improvements in local government efficiency but strongly opposes narrowing councils’ purpose to cost-effective service delivery. Wellbeing is fundamental to community life, and recreation, play, cemeteries, and crematoria are essential services that directly contribute to health, cohesion, and dignity.
Our submission highlights the vital role local government plays in providing recreation infrastructure, open spaces, and public amenities, and the need for legislative settings that enable councils to maintain and enhance these services.
Key points include:
- Retaining wellbeing as a central purpose of local government.
- Recognising recreation, cemeteries, and crematoria as essential core services.
- Supporting meaningful reporting and benchmarking through tools such as Yardstick for Parks and Open Spaces.
- Allowing third-party contributions to offset both infrastructure and operational costs, supporting sustainability.
- Aligning the Bill with broader system reforms recommended in the Future for Local Government Review, including climate adaptation, equitable funding, and central-local partnerships.
- Modernising the legislative framework for cemeteries and crematoria to reflect contemporary community and cultural needs.
We emphasise that any changes must protect councils’ ability to provide spaces and services that keep communities active, healthy, resilient, and connected.
Read our submission
For more detail, please read:
Submission on the Local Government (System Improvements) Amendment Bill
Questions or feedback
If you have any questions, or want to share your views, contact our Advocacy Manager, Sam Newton, at sam@nzrecreation.org.nz.
.