Far North District Council's position on remits confirmed

Far North District Council has agreed to support eight remits being presented at the 2024 Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Wellington this week.

LGNZ is an association that represents regional, city, and district councils that pay to be members. It holds an annual conference which includes an AGM where remits can be proposed by councils for discussion.

One remit supported by Far North councillors is a call from LGNZ for changes in the driver licensing system. The Graduated Driver Licensing System remit advocates for a new fee structure, better preparation for young drivers, and increased testing capacity in key locations to ease the pressure on the system and make testing faster and more efficient. Councillors noted that while there are programmes in the Far North to help young people get their driver licenses, the fees are too high for low-income areas like the mid and Far North.

FNDC also supported a Northland Regional Council remit on sharing GST revenue with local governments. This revenue, which is levied on local rates and service fees for things like flood protection, roads, and water services, would be reinvested locally into those services.

Far North Kahika Mayor Tepania will attend the AGM on Wednesday 21 August to vote on these remits on behalf of the Far North. Kowhai Kelly Stratford and Councillor Kapa are also due to attend as observers.

Remits can be submitted to LGNZ by zones or individual councils, with support from other councils. These remits are reviewed by a committee and once approved, become part of the LGNZ AGM agenda. Voting at the AGM decides which remits will move forward and the order of priority, moving to the National Council to assign resources as part of the LGNZ work programme.

Others remits supported by Far North councillors include:

- Supply of timely population data for Representation Reviews

- Changing regulations so Community Services Cards can be used to access discounted rates

- Local Government Constituencies and wards should not be subject to referendum

- Entrenchment of Māori wards seats for local government

- Proactive lever to mitigate the deterioration of unoccupied buildings

- Appropriate funding models for central government initiatives.

More details on all eight remits can be found here.