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Local Government Act 2002

Governance and management of local authorities and community boards - Local boards - Local board plans and agreements

48N: Local board plans

You could also call this:

“Plans made by local boards to show what the community wants for the next three years”

You need to know about local board plans. Each local board must create a plan soon after every three-yearly election, but no later than 31 October in the year after the election.

The plan is important because it shows what your community wants in terms of local activities for the next three years. It helps the local board tell others about your interests and preferences. The plan also helps create the local board agreement and informs the long-term plan. It allows the local board to be accountable to you and gives you a chance to have a say in decision-making.

The plan must include information about the standard levels of service for local activities. If there are any changes to these levels, the plan needs to explain them and say how much they might cost or save. The plan also needs to include a budget that doesn’t go over the funding set aside for the local board in the long-term plan. If it does go over, the plan must show how the extra money will be found.

When making the plan, the local board can use any process they think is best to achieve the plan’s purpose and meet the requirements of section 82.

The plan talks about ‘default levels of service’. These are the standard services for local activities that are paid for by the local board’s funding and are listed in the long-term plan.

If the local board needs more money than they’ve been given, they can get it from local sources. These can include a special rate for the local board area, fees for local activities, or any other money related to local activities.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM6236199.

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Part 4 Governance and management of local authorities and community boards
Local boards: Local board plans and agreements

48NLocal board plans

  1. Each local board must adopt a local board plan—

  2. as soon as practicable after each triennial general election; but
    1. not later than 31 October in the year immediately after the year of that election.

      1. The purpose of a local board plan is—

      2. to reflect the priorities and preferences of the communities within the local board area in respect of the level and nature of local activities to be provided by the unitary authority over the next 3 years; and
        1. to identify and describe the interests and preferences of the people within the local board area for the purpose of enabling the local board to communicate those interests and preferences for the purposes of section 48K(1)(b); and
          1. to provide a basis for developing the local board agreement for the next 3 years; and
            1. to inform the development of the next long-term plan, particularly in relation to the identification of the non-regulatory activities of the unitary authority for which decision-making responsibility should be allocated to the local board; and
              1. to provide a basis for accountability of the local board to the communities in the local board area; and
                1. to provide an opportunity for people to participate in decision-making processes on the nature and level of local activities to be provided by the unitary authority within the local board area.

                  1. A local board plan must include—

                  2. a statement of the default levels of service for local activities; and
                    1. an explanation of each variation from the default levels of services proposed for the local board area, if any; and
                      1. an estimate of the additional cost or saving associated with each variation, if any; and
                        1. an indicative local board budget, incorporating the estimates referred to in paragraph (c), that—
                          1. does not exceed the estimated funding allocation for the local board for the following year included in the long-term plan under clause 17A(c) of Schedule 10; or
                            1. exceeds the estimated funding allocation referred to in subparagraph (i), but identifies how the expenses in excess of that allocation are proposed to be met from 1 or more local revenue sources.

                            2. In adopting a local board plan under subsection (1), a local board may follow whatever processes it considers appropriate to give effect to—

                            3. the purpose of the plan; and
                              1. the requirements in section 82.

                                1. In this section,—

                                  default levels of service means the levels of service provision for local activities in the district that are—

                                  1. funded in each local board funding allocation; and
                                    1. specified in the long-term plan (in accordance with clause 4 of Schedule 10)

                                        1. following year means the year commencing on the next 1 July.

                                        1. In subsection (3)(d)(ii), local revenue sources include—

                                        2. a targeted rate for all or part of the local board area; and
                                          1. a fee or charge relating to a local activity; and
                                            1. any other revenue connected with a local activity.

                                              Notes
                                              • Section 48N: inserted, on , by section 17 of the Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Act 2014 (2014 No 55).