The purpose of the Delegations Register is to set out the Tasman District Council’s (‘the Council’) delegations for decision making when giving effect to its statutory responsibilities, duties, functions, and powers.  Tasman District Council uses the LocoDelegations tool to record delegations.

LocoDelegations was developed by the Association of Local Government Information Management (ALGIM) to help councils manage their statutory delegations with regular legal review to ensure that they are up to date.  Users can search delegations under Acts and Bylaws, as well as viewing general delegations conferred to staff.

What are delegations?

A delegation is the transfer of a responsibility, duty, function, or power from the decision-making body to which the authority has been given, to another body or person.

Many Acts of Parliament prescribe responsibilities, duties, functions, or powers to Councils (local authorities).  Authority may also come from Councils’ general power under section 12 of the Local Government Act 2002.  For local government to operate efficiently and effectively, the Council (elected members) delegates responsibilities, duties, functions and powers to Committees, the Chief Executive or other bodies or officers. 

Delegations avoid administrative delays and inefficiencies that might otherwise occur if all matters had to be referred to Council or the Chief Executive every time a decision was needed to be made.  This allows the elected members of Council to focus on strategic governance and decision making, and those powers that cannot be delegated (such as making Bylaws).

Who can make a delegation?

Council’s authority to delegate to its standing committees, committees, subcommittees, elected members or staff is principally derived from Schedule 7, Clause 32 of the Local Government Act 2002 (LGA).

Authority delegated to the Chief Executive or other Executive Managers may then be sub-delegated to an officer whose role includes acting on the responsibility, duty, function, or power conferred.

How are delegations made?

Delegations are first made by Council via a Council resolution.  For some Acts, delegations can only be made by Full Council.  For other Acts, delegations may be made by an officer who has been given authority to make delegations by Council, such as delegations given to the Chief Executive.

What is included in this online Delegations Register (LocoDelegations)?

LocoDelegations contains the council’s statutory and general delegations.  The Delegation's Register is a ‘living’ document and is updated regularly as delegations are made, revoked, or amended by Council or delegated staff.

Use the navigation menu across the top of the page to find the Act, Bylaw, or delegation you are looking for.  If you are not sure which Act, Bylaw or delegation applies, you can use the search to the right of the menu to search by any keyword, and the search results will display every Act, Bylaw or delegation containing the keyword.

Terms of Reference for Committees, and other governance documents can be found on our website here.

How long do delegations last?

Unless a delegation is for a defined period it will continue until revoked by the Council, the Chief Executive or withdrawn by operation of law.  A delegation is made to a role or committee, not to an individual. If the person doing a role, or people siting on the committee changes then the delegation continues unchanged.

Can a delegation be held temporarily?

Temporary delegations or “acting up” refer to when someone is appointed temporarily to fill in for a more senior position.  A person ‘acting up’ inherits the delegations of that senior position for a specified period.  These types of delegations must be approved by the supervisor of the delegate.  They must also be time-bound, specific (i.e. financial, statutory, operational), justified, and documented.

Can a delegation be revoked?

The Council may, at any time, revoke, suspend for a period, or amend the terms and conditions in relation to any delegation it has made, except with regard to decisions already taken.  Where this occurs, it will be recorded by resolution of Council and this delegations register will be updated.

The Chief Executive may revoke, or suspend for a period, or amend the terms and conditions in relation to any delegation to subordinates that they have made.

Where can I find out more about delegations or the delegations register?

Our FAQ section is regularly updated with questions relating to delegations.  If you cannot find the information you are looking for you can also request information under the Local Government Official Information Act 1987.  Information on how to do that is here.