Mahuta NanaiaLOCAL GOVERNMENT REGULATORY SYSTEMS AMENDMENT BILLSecond ReadingHon NANAIA MAHUTA (Minister of Local Government): I move That the Local Government Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill be now read a second time. The bill is an omnibus bill which will make minor and technical changes to the legislative framework under which councils operate. Its purpose is to carry out maintenance on local government legislation to keep it up to date and fit for purpose. It's an opportunity to tidy up and correct aspects of law that would be beneficial to improved functionality and implementation of their respective Acts. The bill as reported back from the Governance and Administration Committee amends seven principal local government Acts administered by the Department of Internal Affairs. The Government recognises the importance of finding time in the parliamentary calendar to undertake repairs and maintenance to existing legislation.This approach was endorsed by the Productivity Commission in its 2014 report on regulatory institutions and practices. The amendments contained in this bill support the Government's vision for an effective system of local government operating under legislation that is clear modern and does not introduce unnecessary costs. I'd like to thank the select committee for its careful consideration of the bill and for conducting its business in a timely manner. This gives the House the opportunity to pass the bill with enough time left in the financial year so that those affected by the amendments to the Rates Rebate Act in particular have time to submit an application to their local council and receive the rates rebate for this rating year.The committee received and considered 18 submissions on the bill from interested groups. The two key local government sector groups Local Government New Zealand and the Society of Local Government Managers submitted in support of the bill's purpose. The committee's report recommends the bill be passed with five main amendments and I support these amendments.I'd like to draw the House's attention to some small but important changes we are introducing in this bill to improve access to information for communities across New Zealand. We're introducing a new requirement for local authorities to publish public notices on their websites as well as in the traditional community newspaper. We're introducing a new power for the Secretary for Local Government to prescribe the form of documents and information which local authorities make public. This is to ensure that the information is accessible and reusable by all including those with a disability. We're introducing a definition of Internet site" into the Local Government Act so that council websites are a place where the public can find all important council documents.In and of themselves these are minor amendments. However taken together these changes will make the information held by local authorities more readily available accessible and reusable and help support greater transparency in the sector.I'd like to highlight another amendment in the bill. The amendment is to the Local Electoral Act and introduces a new duty to facilitate and foster representative and substantial electoral participation. The committee recommends that this duty be placed with the chief executive rather than electoral officers. I tend to agree with the committee's recommendation and think chief executives will be well-placed to ensure the principle of facilitating and fostering electoral participation is reflected throughout their organisation and in their approach to elections. The current low level of participation in local elections means that membership of councils is often less diverse than the communities they serve and we should always try to do more which is why improving civic participation in local government is one of my key focus areas for the local government portfolio. This change to the Local Electoral Act will provide councils with a clear mandate to improve participation across our communities.Finally the committee recognised that there was some overlap between matters raised in submissions on the bill and the Justice Committee's inquiry into the 2017 general election and also the 2016 local elections. While those matters were out of scope for the bill I commend the submitters for raising these issues and support the Justice Committee considering the issues.The bill contains a number of minor and technical changes which will strengthen the local government legislative framework. The changes are non-controversial and have cross-party support. I commend the bill to the House."