Local government touches people's lives every day. 
With over 85 councils across Aotearoa-New Zealand, local government represents a critical democratic mechanism and experience in people’s lives. The diversity of business and activity undertaken by local government in New Zealand is profound, and has been enabled through the Local Government Act 2002. The purpose of local government in New Zealand is twofold:

• To enable democratic local decision-making and action by, and on behalf of, communities; and
  
  
• To promote the social, economic, environmental, and cultural well-being of communities, in the present and for the future (Source: Local Govt Act 2002, section 10)
  

The Local Government Centre is hosted by the Institute of Public Policy (IPP) within the AUT University. IPP provides independent research and advice on economic and social development in New Zealand and comparative countries.  This is a very compatible fit with the Local Government Centre aspirations, which are to build a New Zealand based cluster of expertise on local government and governance.

Importantly, Local Government Centre staff will actively forge working relationships with private and public sector agencies, and with councils, so as to enhance and strengthen the capacity of local authorities to effectively deliver upon their statutory duties.

For more information, download a pdf document under the following: Work Focus, teaching, consulting, national linkages, international linkages, brief history of Local Government Centre.

CONTACT
Nic Mason: 09-921-9999 ext. 6034 or click here
or
Peter McKinlay click here

MPhil in Local Government