In New Zealand, community boards are governed by the provisions of Part 4 of the
Local Government Act 2002
The Local Government Act 2002 (sometimes known by its acronym, LGA) is an act of New Zealand's New Zealand Parliament, Parliament that defines local government in New Zealand. There are 73 territorial authorities (districts and cities), each w ...
and can be created, or dissolved by
territorial authorities
Territorial authorities ( Māori: ''mana ā-rohe'') are a tier of local government in New Zealand, alongside regional councils. There are 67 territorial authorities: 13 city councils, 53 district councils and the Chatham Islands Council. Dist ...
, 40 out of 78 of which have 111 boards. In addition
Auckland
Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
has 21
local boards and some councils have community committees.
Under the Local Electoral Act 2001, boards must have at least four members but not more than twelve. At least four must be elected members, but up to half can be appointed by the council.
Their purpose is to:
* represent and act as an advocate for the interests of the community;
* consider and report on any matter referred to it by their council, and any issues of interest to the community board;
* make an annual submission to their council on expenditure;
* maintain an overview of services provided by their council within the community; and
* communicate with community organisations and special interest groups in the community, and undertake any other responsibilities delegated by their council.
Boards can have powers delegated to them by councils, but cannot own land, or employ staff.
Levels of delegation vary greatly: 25 councils (60%) give boards power to make community grants, 11 (26%) power to run parks and reserves, 10 (24%) power to run community centres and sports and recreation
and, in
Southland, to spend up to $300,000 on projects. In
Thames-Coromandel boards have control of local harbours, parks, halls, libraries, airfields, swimming pools, toilets, cemeteries, buses, planning, grants, economic development and bylaws.
List of community boards
See also
*
Local boards of Auckland Council
Auckland Council () is the local government in New Zealand, local government municipal council, council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is a territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority that also has the responsibili ...
*
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
References
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Local government in New Zealand