(Note this is designed to replace existing wording at the BOPLASS portal’s page: http://www.collaborate.org.nz/index.php/portfolio/standardised-bylaws-for-waikato-councils/ )

Cutting red tape and aligning policies to make working with Waikato local government simpler have been two key goals of the Waikato Mayoral Forum’s highly successful policy and bylaws workstream.

The work has helped Waikato’s city and district councils slash the number of policies on their books by more than half (nearly 300) – that cull has stemmed from either the joint project or their own internal work.

The aim is to cut even more and also ditch unnecessary bylaws.

Weeding out the unneeded policies makes the local policy landscape simpler for everybody and reduces the risk of confusion for councils, businesses and the general community.

Another feature of the work has been a jointly developed significance and engagement policy which spells out a consistent approach to when and how councils will engage with their communities over issues.