Division, abuse and rates pain: Local politics year in review

A rising tide of abuse, escalating costs and the clash between central and local government. LDR Editor Marika Hill looks back at local politics in 2024.

Homeowners feel the pinch

Ratepayers were hit with some of the biggest rates rises of their lifetime in 2024.

Inflation figures released in October revealed what many people already suspected. Rates increased by 12.2 percent in the 12 months to October - the largest jump since 1990.

Councils blamed the triple whammy of rising prices, insurance and interest rates.

Infrastructure costs - such as roading, water pipes and bridges - also soared for local authorities.

Put simply, councils said they were paying more to cover the basics.

'Rein in the fantasies'

The government, however, felt councils weren't doing enough to keep spiralling costs under control.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told councils to "rein in the fantasies" and focus on core business.

"Pick up the rubbish, fix the pipes, fill in potholes, and more generally, maintain local assets quickly, carefully, and cost effectively," he told local government representatives in August.

This didn't go down well with many councils, who accused the government of overreach.

New Plymouth mayor Neil Holdom said it should be left to communities to decide what inspires them.

"A government capping local government's ability to reflect what its communities are asking for is a slippery slope to mediocrity."

But the government pushed forward with plans to remove four wellbeing measures from the Local Government Act and introduce a range of benchmarks for local council spending and performance.

Local Government Minister Simeon Brown said wellbeing provisions (to promote social, economic, environmental, and cultural well-being of communities) were leading to rates increases.

"It is clear that rates are out of control. These increases are unacceptable to ratepayers, and unacceptable to the government," he said.

Manukau Ward Councillor Lotu Fuli told Local Democracy Reporting that removing these wellbeing factors [www.rnz.co.nz/news/ldr/537139/councillors-condemn-removal-of-wellbeing-in-local-decisions would be detrimental].

"What kind of a community would we live in if we didn't have the arts, if we didn't have music, if we didn't have our festivals, if we didn't promote our culture and our wellbeing?"

Growing division: Māori wards

The debate over Māori wards also sparked a widening divide between central and local authorities.

Under a new law, councils that established a Māori ward from 2020 without a referendum had to either scrap the ward or hold a binding public poll during the 2025 local elections.

In a fiery meeting in Mangawhai in August, Kaipara District Council voted to disestablish its Māori ward, becoming the first council to do so under new rules.

However, the overwhelming majority of the 45 impacted councils voted to retain their Māori wards.

The fate of those wards will be left in the hands of voters when a referendum is held during local elections in 2025.

Fears of anti-Māori rhetoric

A Whakatāne councillor told Local Democracy Reporting she is bracing herself for [www.1news.co.nz/2024/09/11/whakatane-councillor-braces-for-more-anti-maori-rhetoric/ more anti-Māori rhetoric] leading up to the referendum.

Being yelled at for using te reo Māori and having someone call "heil Hitler" at her - these are just some of Toni Boynton's experiences as a councillor.

"I've had people come up to me and ask, 'why have you got that barcode on your face'," Whakatāne District Council's Kāpū Te Rangi Māori ward councillor told Local Democracy Reporting.

This comment was in reference to her moko kauae.

Boynton said she believed this anti-Māori rhetoric would increase as next year's Māori wards referendum approached.

She is not alone in facing abuse in her role.

Mayors and councillors across the country spoke about the rising tide of threats, abuse and racism.

In June, West Coast iwi representatives and council leaders called out the "racist, revolting" emails they had been receiving.

The "hate-filled" emails targeted some members of a committee overseeing the development of the West Coast's combined district plan, the Te Tai o Poutini Plan (TTPP).

'You're answerable to social media'

Rangitīkei Mayor Andy Watson said critique and abuse, particularly on social media platforms, had increased significantly for councillors.

"You're answerable to social media. People don't understand what is required of modern-day councillors, or the scale of the job and how much it has increased over time."

National Party deputy leader Nicola Willis weighed in on the issue, calling on people to join her in "belittling the trolls".

Speaking at a gathering of women in local government [www.rnz.co.nz/news/ldr/525843/nicola-willis-hits-back-at-abuse-threats-stuff-off in August], Willis read out a message she received: "Eff up bitch, you ruin lives, that makes you an effing rhymes-with-munt."

Former Nelson Mayor Rachel Reese arrived home in February to find an "enraged stranger" wielding a nail gun in her house.

In July, Ashburton deputy mayor Liz McMillan pointed out a social media post suggesting councillors should be thrown in a woodchipper.

"It's just not alright. We are just people doing our job."

What's ahead for 2025?

The rise of abuse comes as candidates weigh up running for council, with local elections due to be held in September.

Tauranga is the only area not holding an election because it went to the polls in 2024.

Expect more cost-cutting as councils juggle tight budgets. Many councils already had to trim back roading ambitions due to a lack of funds.

Local councils will come under greater scrutiny next year as the government cracks down on what it says are nice-to-haves.

But don't expect this to always translate to lower rates for cash-strapped homeowners.

Increases are already pencilled in for some regions, including Christchurch residents who face a potential 9.76 percent rates increase.

It'll be a busy time for councils in 2025 as they work through a raft of new policies from the government.

Look out for more details on the government's ambitions at local level: speed limit reversals, easing the rules to allow more housing; resource management changes, fast-tracked projects, and the affordable water reforms.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.