Nothing removed. Nothing replaced. Opex that shrinks at scale.
Central government has indicated they want councils to cap their rates.
Councils are still expected to deliver the same services.
Costs are rising. Fuel, materials, contractors, compliance.
Revenue is capped. The only lever left is operating efficiency.
A rigorous review of one small area of roading administration within a single New Zealand council found up to $1.7m in annual overhead absorbed by manual processes between systems. That was one area. The real number across a full council operation will be significantly larger.