Local government, briefly explained

Local government does much of the work that people associate with 'the government' in their daily lives: water, roads, rubbish, parks, libraries, building consents, district planning. It is funded mainly by rates and by central government contributions, and it is governed by elected councillors who set direction and oversee a chief executive.

Regional councils sit alongside district and city councils with their own responsibilities, particularly around the environment, public transport and resource management. The line between the two can be blurry from the outside, which is part of why coverage matters.

Long-term plans, annual plans and district plans are the documents where the most consequential decisions are made. They are also where public input has the most leverage, well before any project shows up at a ribbon-cutting.

Our coverage tries to demystify these processes, so readers can engage at the stage when their input is most useful.