Over the last few years, local government has had a reducing say in the communities they serve - primarily driven by government ideology but also through necessity, due to Covid-19 management policies.

The most obvious example is the mandating of the new legislation surrounding the management of our drinking, waste and storm water (three waters). Historically, this has been one of the roles of local government.

This Government has mandated that the management and control of three waters be passed over to one of four large water entities, thereby reducing oversight from a local perspective. How will we (locally) influence decisions around the management of our waters?

Soon, District Health Boards will be replaced by Health New Zealand and a Māori Health authority. These large corporations have been established to minimise “postcode” health (ie the quality of your care depends on where you live) and also address health inequities.

They will design, deliver and commission local health services. This may or may not be good for people in Ashburton, we don’t know, many questions need to be answered. What we do know is that we have to ensure that we will have access to quality health care in a timely fashion.

We can go on: The RMA is being reviewed - over the years millions of dollars have been spent on developing District plans, will these be irrelevant in the future? Waka Kotahi – the latest round of funding showed Ashburton received a significant reduction in roading funds, despite having one of the largest roading networks in New Zealand and having sustained significant damage in the floods of 2021.  How do we (again from a local level) influence this?

This is a long-winded way of bringing me to my point. The role of local government is also under review. What will it look like in the future? Will the role of local government be removed or reduced? Will local government also be “cut back” so that we are more removed from decision makers and lose the right to choose how we invest in our community, lose the ability to make decisions as to how we want to live locally?

Local government ensures there is a conduit to how we can influence decisions that impact us in our community, and our community has a strong and accessible local government.

We all need to protect it, to participate in decisions and have our say. This means participating fully in consultation, giving feedback and comment to your council representatives and making sure they reflect your concerns.

The Annual Plan is out for review. This is a great opportunity to make sure we understand the direction you want for the Ashburton District and to exercise your right to contribute to the management of the Ashburton District Council.