Podcasts Other The Mike Hosking Breakfast Stuart Crosby: Local councils pushing for electoral term extension

Stuart Crosby: Local councils pushing for electoral term extension

Published: Sept. 6, 2020, 9:22 p.m.

Local councils are bidding to have our electoral term extended to four years.
Local Government NZ and councils from around New Zealand have teamed up to push the idea, asking for the Government to hold a referendum.
They claim they have 87 per cent support from councils around the country. 
Local Government president Stuart Crosby told Mike Hosking three years - with major interruptions for campaigning - essentially leaves just over a year for planning, projects and delivery.
"New people come in they want to review things, they want to change things. So you lose momentum and I think that's a major problem in this country."
Mr Crosby says the current three year cycle sees too much time wasted on electioneering.
He says councils and central government really only have about 15 months to get things done - and this would give them a whole extra year.