The WEA is running a series of discussions on local government democracy and the future of Christchurch on Wednesday afternoons at 59 Gloucester Street.
The first session on August 21 runs from 1.30-2.30pm and features Mike Reid, Principal Policy Adviser, Local Government New Zealand talking about where local government reform is heading.
Subsequent talks include city councillor Rev Peter Beck talking about who tells who what to do, Canterbury District Health Board member Olive Webb on autocracy, Andrew Dickerson, former Chief Executive of Age Concern Canterbury Andrew Dickerson on planning for an ageing population in our new city. Associate Professor John Hopkins from the University of Canterbury’s Law School’s talk on September 18, considering whether earthquakes are bad for democracy, brings the series to a close.
Gold coin entry.
Mike Reid is running an additional evening session on August 21 from 7pm on the local government system in New Zealand, for which there is a charge of $8.
He will be identifying the essential elements of a good local government system and to what extent the New Zealand local government system reflects this. Mike will look at local government systems elsewhere to see if there are things we can learn from other countries to improve local and regional governance and make our communities better places to live in.
Mike Reid was formerly senior social policy analyst at Christchurch City Council and recently completed his PhD on the subject of community governance.
To register phone 366 0285, email: admin@cwea.org.nz or go online to: cwea.org.nz
