A decision by a local authority to appoint a chair for a major council-controlled organisation was unlawful for failure to consider the relevance of knowledge of tikanga Māori.

As part of the coalition agreements with ACT and NZ First, the Local Government (Electoral Legislation and Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Act 2024 (“Amendment Act”) was passed. This reintroduces the requirement that local government hold public polls to establish Māori Wards and Constituencies rather than being able to establish them by resolution.

A husband and wife were unsuccessful in claiming against a local authority for a mistaken assurance that their pool complied with the Fencing of Swimming Pools Act 1987 (“FOSPA”).