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Local Government Act 2002

Planning, decision-making, and accountability - Planning and decision-making - Planning

93C: Content of consultation document for adoption of long-term plan

You could also call this:

“What your local council needs to tell you about their big future plans”

When your local council wants to adopt a long-term plan, they need to create a consultation document. This document should help you understand what the council is planning and how it might affect you.

The document needs to explain important issues that the council thinks you should know about. For each issue, they’ll tell you about different options to solve it, what might happen if they choose each option, and what the council wants to do.

The council will also tell you about how their plans might change your rates (the money you pay to the council), the council’s debt, and the services they provide.

You’ll see information about the council’s financial and infrastructure plans. If the council wants to change how they collect money or spend it, they’ll explain that too.

The document will use charts or graphs to show you how rates and debt might change, and how services might be different in the future.

You’ll also see examples of how the plans might affect rates for different types of properties.

The council needs to make this document easy to understand. They can’t include the full plan or policies, but they’ll tell you where to find more information if you want it.

The document will have a report from the Auditor-General. This person will check if the document does what it’s supposed to do and if the information in it is good.

Remember, this document is to help you understand the council’s plans and give your opinion. The council can choose what to call it, but it needs to say it’s about the long-term plan.

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM6236840.

Topics:
Government and voting > Local councils
Money and consumer rights > Taxes
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93B: Purpose of consultation document for long-term plan, or

“The consultation document helps you understand and talk about your council's future plans”

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93D: Content of consultation document for amendment of long-term plan, or

“What to include when asking people about changes to the long-term plan”

Part 6 Planning, decision-making, and accountability
Planning and decision-making: Planning

93CContent of consultation document for adoption of long-term plan

  1. The content of the consultation document for the adoption of a long-term plan must be such as the local authority considers on reasonable grounds will achieve the purpose set out in section 93B.

  2. Without limiting subsection (1), the consultation document must describe—

  3. each issue that the local authority determines should be included having had regard to—
    1. the significance and engagement policy adopted under section 76AA; and
      1. the importance of other matters to the district and its communities; and
      2. for each issue identified under paragraph (a),—
        1. the principal options for addressing the issue and the implications (including financial implications) of each of those options; and
          1. the local authority's proposal, if any, for addressing the issue; and
            1. the likely consequences of proceeding with the proposal on the local authority's rates, debt, and levels of service; and
            2. other matters of public interest relating to—
              1. the proposed content of the local authority’s financial strategy (under section 101A) including, without limitation, the quantified limits on rate increases and borrowing in that strategy; and
                1. the proposed content of the local authority’s infrastructure strategy (under section 101B); and
                2. any significant changes that are proposed to the way the local authority funds its operating and capital expenditure requirements, including changes to the rating system described in clause 15(3) and (4) of Schedule 10; and
                  1. using graphs or charts, the direction and scale of changes to the local authority’s rates and debt levels that will result from the proposed content of the long-term plan; and
                    1. using graphs or charts where practicable, the direction and nature of changes to the local authority’s levels of service associated with the proposed content of the long-term plan; and
                      1. the impact of proposals on the rates assessed on different categories of rateable land with a range of property values, by the provision of examples as provided for in clause 15(5) of Schedule 10.

                        1. The consultation document—

                        2. must be presented in as concise and simple a manner as is consistent with section 93B and this section; and
                          1. without limiting paragraph (a), must not contain, or have attached to it,—
                            1. a draft of the long-term plan, as proposed to be adopted; or
                              1. a full draft of any policy; or
                                1. a full draft of the local authority’s financial strategy or infrastructure strategy; or
                                  1. any detailed information, whether described in Part 1 of Schedule 10 or otherwise, that is not necessary or desirable for the purposes of subsections (1) and (2); and
                                  2. must state where members of the public may obtain information adopted by the local authority under section 93G, which may include, for example, providing links or references to the relevant documents on the local authority’s Internet site; and
                                    1. may be given the title of the local authority’s choice, provided that the title or subtitle make reference to this being a consultation document for the proposed long-term plan for the relevant years.

                                      1. The consultation document must contain a report from the Auditor-General on—

                                      2. whether the consultation document gives effect to the purpose set out in section 93B; and
                                        1. the quality of the information and assumptions underlying the information provided in the consultation document.

                                          1. The report under subsection (4) must not comment on the merits of any policy content of the consultation document.

                                          Notes
                                          • Section 93C: inserted, on , by section 31 of the Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Act 2014 (2014 No 55).
                                          • Section 93C(2)(c)(i): amended, on , by section 17(1) of the Local Government Regulatory Systems Amendment Act 2019 (2019 No 6).
                                          • Section 93C(3)(c): amended, on , by section 17(2) of the Local Government Regulatory Systems Amendment Act 2019 (2019 No 6).