Jackson WillieLOCAL GOVERNMENT (COMMUNITY WELL-BEING) AMENDMENT BILLThird ReadingHon WILLIE JACKSON (Minister of Employment) on behalf of the Minister of Local Government: I move That the Local Government (Community Well-being) Amendment Bill be now read a third time. This bill is a key part of an all-of-Government shift towards taking a more inclusive holistic approach to measuring our success as a country. It's no longer enough that we define and measure the health and progress of our communities in a narrow fiscal sense. Local government is able to take a practical approach to enhancing the well-being of our local communities focused on achieving positive outcomes. Decisions made by local government have an immediate and important impact on New Zealand's quality of life. Those decisions affect the natural environment and neighbourhoods in which we live and work and impact on our health and safety. This bill restores community well-being to the purpose of the Local Government Act 2002. The bill acknowledges the valuable role local leadership has in promoting the social economic environmental and cultural well-being of citizens and communities. Community well-being is a cornerstone of our system of local government. Restoring it to the purpose of local government brings the Local Government Act back into alignment with other legislation that touches on local government. This change will increase the coherence and consistency of the local government framework. The bill recognises the role of local authorities as custodians for the well-being of their communities rather than as entities to be controlled by central government. Intergenerational well-being is a kaupapa Māori concept. The bringing together of intergenerational aspirations held by local government and iwi Māori will drive inclusive economic growth and lift well-being in our communities. Local authorities are responsible for creating the places and shaping the communities that their citizens want to live in. Restoring well-being to the purpose of local government will encourage local authorities to take a holistic approach to addressing the needs of their communities. Fears that local authorities will use this bill as an excuse to begin spending irresponsibly are unfounded. There is no reason to believe that and no evidence to support it. In fact evidence shows that councils spent responsibly prior to the 2012 and 2014 amendments to the Local Government Act. Councils' job is to balance the needs and wants of their communities with the financial burden on these communities. The removal of community well-being in 2012 created confusion about the role of local government. Councils had told us that they want this changed. They have asked us to return clarity about their purpose. The bill also restores local authorities' powers to collect development contributions for a range of public amenities and reserves. Public infrastructure such as libraries and swimming pools is vital for building a sense of community well-being and for raising the next generation of engaged citizens. Councils told us that the 2014 restrictions on development contributions put a strain on ratepayers to pay for the infrastructure that growing communities needed. This amendment supports local authorities by returning a key source of funding for infrastructure to support rapidly growing communities while also keeping council rates and debt levels under control. Decisions about funding for community infrastructure will need to be made transparently. Councils will still need to consult with their communities on their proposals and will be required to list each asset for which they plan to use additional development contributions. The third and final objective of this bill is to resolve a technical issue that prevents local authorities from being able to access funding from the Housing Infrastructure Fund. The bill clarifies that advances from the New Zealand Transport Agency are correctly classed as borrowing. This will remove a barrier for local authorities when building infrastructure in new development areas. This bill demonstrates this Government's approach to partnering with the local government sector. We see the relationship between central government and local government as a partnership that is supportive rather than prescriptive. Together we can improve the well-being of our communities. Finally I would like to again acknowledge the member for Rongotai Paul Eagle—well done Paul—who proposed the restoration of community well-being in a member's bill and allowed it to be taken up by this Government bill. So well done to our member Paul Eagle who is a vital member of the Government and Māori caucus might I add. On that note I would commend the Local Government (Community Well-being) Amendment Bill to the House.