Summarised by Centrist
Former MP and broadcaster Michael Laws has been elected to the Otago Regional Council and says the only way to reduce council rates is to cut staff.
Speaking on The Platform, Laws said councils across New Zealand have expanded “like topsy” over the past decade, creating what he described as “job creation work programmes” that drive up costs for ratepayers.
He argued that new councillors elected on promises to hold or cut rates will soon discover that staff reductions are the only viable path.
“The only way that you can reduce rates in New Zealand is by cutting local government staff,” he said. “There isn’t any other way. You can’t make money because local government isn’t a business enterprise.”
Laws predicted “a very interesting next three years” as councils face voter expectations for restraint. He suggested middle managers and chief executives would feel the pressure, especially in districts where newly elected members campaigned on ratepayer accountability.
He also noted that while much of the country shifted toward fiscal conservatism, Wellington moved in the opposite direction, electing a majority of Green and Labour-aligned councillors who support higher spending and expanded cycleways.
“They voted for higher rates and more bureaucracy,” he said. “Around the rest of New Zealand, voters rewarded those who said they’d keep rates low.”
