Hot off the Press - Federated Farmers Media Release "Charles Finny Elected Chair of Local Government Forum"

28 November 2008

CHARLES FINNY ELECTED CHAIR OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT FORUM

Charles Finny has been elected Chairman of the Local Government Forum, a grouping of business organisations with a key interest promoting efficiency in local government.

Mr Finny is Chief Executive of the Wellington Regional Chamber of Commerce and Director of the New Zealand Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

“I am looking forward to engaging with the new Government on local government policy and ensuring that the views of the business community are clearly heard and understood by policy makers from the Minister down”, said Mr Finny.

“On Wednesday 3 December I will be leading a delegation from the Local Government Forum to meet with the new Minister of Local Government, Rodney Hide, and we will be encouraging him in his efforts to focus councils on doing the basics well and providing good value to ratepayers.

“The Local Government Forum’s policy prescription is clearly set out in Forum documents Democracy and Performance a Manifesto for Local Government and Local Government and the Provision of Public Goods and we are heartened by Mr Hide’s positive response to these reports.”

Mr Finny succeeds Don Nicolson who was Forum Chairman for four years but has now stepped down to focus on his role as President of Federated Farmers of New Zealand.

“Don has done a great job leading the Forum over recent years and has been instrumental in putting the Forum in a prime position to make a positive contribution to local government policy”, said Mr Finny.

Background

The Local Government Forum comprises organisations that have a vital interest in the activities of local government. Its members include Business New Zealand, the Electricity Networks Association, Federated Farmers of New Zealand, New Zealand Business Roundtable, New Zealand Chambers of Commerce, and New Zealand Retailers’ Association. The Forum was established in 1994 to promote greater efficiency in local government and to contribute to debate on policy issues affecting it.

Members of the Local Government Forum are each significant representatives of ratepayers in their own right but the Forum’s perspective is to advance community welfare through the advocacy of sound public policy. Its members believe that local government can best serve the interests of the community and ratepayers by focusing on the efficient provision of public goods at a local level.