Economic and Regional Development
Local Government's Contribution to Economic Growth
For 2010 Local Government New Zealand set three strategic priorities - the one addressed here is "promoting local government as part of the solution".
To understand the range of impacts of local government on the economy, and complex linkages between our councils, our communities and our economy, we commissioned BERL to develop a new framework to describe and to measure local government's contriburion to New Zealand's economic growth.
In the framework, we set local government's Economic Development Priority Areas against the Government's Economic Growth Agenda, and look for overlaps and complementarities. As in all things, some activities are best done nationally, and some activities will only work if addressed at the level of the region or the community.
The BERL work identifies the relationship between the inputs made by local government and the outcomes of local government activity, and then describes the relationship of the outcomes of these activities in terms of economic growth. To demonstrate our belief in the role and weight of local government in the economy, we need new thinking of the kind demonstrated in this new approach.
The publication Local Government's Contribution to Economic Growth was first present at the Local Government New Zealand Annual Conference in July 2010.
Download Local Government's Contribution to Economic Growth (pdf, 1.75MB)
