This page is about a bill. That means that it's not the law yet, but some people want it to be the law. It could change quickly, and some of the information is just a draft.

Planning Bill

Key roles - Ministerial intervention - Central government

201: Power of Minister to investigate and make recommendations

You could also call this:

"The Minister checks if local authorities are doing their job and gives them advice to improve."

The Minister can look into how a local authority is doing its job under this proposed law. You will see the Minister can check if a local authority is doing what it should be doing. The Minister can also give the local authority advice on how to do its job better. The Minister can investigate if a local authority is not doing something it should be doing. You will see the Minister can tell a local authority how to fix a problem if it is not doing its job. The Minister can give the local authority tips on what to do instead. The Minister can set a deadline for a local authority to respond to the Minister's advice. You will see the Minister can require a local authority to respond to the advice within a certain time frame. The Minister can also say how the local authority should respond to the advice.

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 It might be out of date or be missing some parts.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=LMS1557655.

This page was last updated on 12 December 2025 — View changes

Topics:

Government and voting > Local councils

200: Termination of joint management agreement, or

"How to end a joint management agreement by giving notice"

202: Residual powers of Minister, or

"Minister's Power to Fix Local Authority Problems"

Part 5Key roles
Ministerial intervention: Central government

201Power of Minister to investigate and make recommendations

The Minister may—
investigate the exercise or performance by a local authority of any of its functions, powers, or duties under this Act or regulations under this Act; and
make recommendations to the local authority on its exercise or performance of those functions, powers, or duties; and
investigate the failure or omission by a local authority to exercise or perform any of its functions, powers, or duties under this Act or regulations under this Act; and
make recommendations to the local authority on its failure or omission to exercise or perform those functions, powers, or duties.

The Minister may—
specify a time frame within which a local authority must respond to a ministerial recommendation and a format for that response; and
require a local authority to respond within the specified time frame.