Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas, Lydia Anderson, Andrew McRae
The perfect storm of problems has Massey University senior lecturer Andy Asquith echoing a call late last year to hold a Royal Commission of Inquiry into local government.
Dr Asquith wants an overhaul of the sector which he says has become a joke to the public who have had enough of council squabbling.
Infighting, internal investigations and code of conduct complaints have plagued councils up and down the country in recent years, coming to a head at Tauranga City Council in November when an independent review identified significant governance issues.
Mayor Tenby Powell resigned and called for commissioners to be appointed, and the council was sacked by Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta and replaced by four commissioners.
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