Mayors lukewarm on Government water reform payments
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Local council transparency bill shines light into gap in MPs disclosure
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Elected officials would also need to declare gifts received valued at over $500. Currently, no local government entities in the central north island have a pecuniary interest register available to the public. Tararua District mayor Tracey Collis said the way her council recorded conflicts of interest was more thorough than what a pecuniary interest register could provide.
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Tararua District mayor Tracey Collis argues the current model works well for rural councils. “At the start of every meeting, councillors are asked to declare conflict of interests. perceived or real,” she said. “Just last meeting, one councillor declared a [perceived] interest because they’d had a recent phone conversation about [the matter].”