Commentary: Standards Committees: Just an Interesting Idea, or Are There Wider Lessons We Can Learn?

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/puar.12173
• Published date: 01 January 2014
• Date: 01 January 2014
• Author: Mike Reid

Standards Committees: Just an Interesting Idea, or Are There Wider Lessons We Can Learn? 85

Mike Reid is principal advisor at Local

Government New Zealand, the association

of local authorities. He has written widely

on local government issues and is a visiting

lecturer at a number of universities. His

doctorate focused on strengthening local

governance.

E-mail: mike.reid@lgnz.co.nz

Commentary

Mike Reid

Local Government New Zealand, New Zealand

In their article “Localism in Practice:

Investigating Citizen Participation and Good

Governance in Local Government Standards

of Conduct,” Alan Lawton and Michael Macaulay

of‌f er us an interesting look into what was a unique

approach to promoting good governance and good

behavior among local elected members. Introduced

by New Labour, the requirement to adopt codes of

conduct and establish standards committees was an

interesting approach to building better engagement

with citizens and trust in democratic processes.  e

committees were composed of elected politicians,

appointed of‌f‌i cials, and independent members

drawn from the wider community, whose role was,

at best, part time.

In the years that the standing committees operated,

it is clear that a substantial amount of policy learning

took place. Well-established committees interpreted

their role as being concerned with the promotion

of local participation and the enhancement of good

governance, and some branched out in a range of

directions.  e authors’ methodology, which uses case

studies on the basis of the degree to which committees

extended their focus beyond the statutory minimum,

is helpful, as it assists us in understanding the poten-

tial scope of their activities and the possibility of

innovation.

 e article accurately notes the opportunity of com-

mittees to provide a path for citizen participation,

albeit coalescing around their overall purpose to

enhance governance and improve behavior. Given the

opportunity for participation created by the commit-

tees, a key part of the research is to examine and assess

the transformative nature of the experience on the

independent members.  e authors suggest, in terms

of Bang’s model of “ever yday makers” and “expert

citizens,” that it might be more accurate to describe

experienced committee members as having become

“everyday makers.”

 is writer was surprised by the broad interpretation

the case study committees took toward their brief.

In comparison to the “ethics” regime within New

Zealand local government, the case study committees

took an active interest in topics such as the recruit-

ment and retention of staf‌f , training and development

of elected members, engagement with schools, and

relationships with local and parish councils.

Standards Committees: Just an Interesting Idea, or Are  ere

Wider Lessons We Can Learn?

Public Administration Review,

Vol. 74, Iss. 1, pp. 85–86. © 2014 by

The American Society for Public Administration.

DOI: 10.1111/puar.12173.