In Aotearoa, we have two tiers of government: central government makes decisions affecting New Zealand as a whole, while local government looks after the interests and needs of specific communities of our region, cities and district areas.
Central government
Central government is made up of members of parliament who are elected from across the whole country to make decisions for all New Zealanders.
Local government
In Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland local government is made up of the mayor, councillors and local board members who are elected to look after the specific needs of our region and local communities.
Our local government organisation is Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland Council.
Working together
While central government and local government have two separate jobs to do, they often work together to get things done.
Think of central government as the directors of a large company. They look at the bigger picture and strategies and make sure that all of the departments are working together.
Local government is like a department within a large company. They look after and run a specific area of the business to make sure everything runs smoothly on a daily basis. Both the directors and separate departments have their own jobs to do, but they both rely on each other for direction and support to get those jobs done.
