Forty-four councils are legally required to undertake representation reviews ahead of the 2028 local elections. LGNZ President Mayor Rehette Stoltz says LGNZ has raised this issue with Ministers multiple times. “LGNZ has written to Minister Chris Bishop and Minister Simon Watts about scrapping representation reviews for regional councils and councils who are part of Head Start. “Councils support strong accountability and transparency, but assurance processes should be proportionate and focused on value for money.” “When councils are being asked to embrace reform, governments can support councils to do so with practical and pragmatic changes that help reduce the burden on ratepayers,” Mayor Rehette Stoltz said.