Project Auckland: Christopher Luxon: The failures that have hurt Auckland - and how we can make it a better city 8 Mar, 2021 07:17 PM 8 minutes to read Christopher Luxon. New Zealand Herald photograph by Dean Purcell. NZ Herald OPINION: There is no doubt in my mind it is a challenging time for local government. The sector is overwhelmed and facing the most significant period of change in 30 years. Local government is struggling on several fronts — infrastructure maintenance and funding to enable growth; three waters reform (drinking, waste, and storm water); resource management reform and glacial consenting processes; mitigation and adaptation of climate change impacts; dysfunctional council dynamics and governance; poor strategic planning; low capacity, capability and skills; poor customer experiences; and erosion of public trust.