A business think tank is proposing New Zealand follow in the footsteps of Switzerland and have more services controlled at a local government level.
The idea was debated by a panel at the release of the New Zealand Initiative's Global Perspective on Localism paper in Wellington on Wednesday night.
The author of the paper and executive director at the New Zealand Initiative Oliver Hartwich says New Zealand has one of the most centralised forms of government in the world.
He says New Zealand should emulate Switzerland where local communities make decisions on infrastructure and economy.
Dr Hartwich says local communities are often better placed to make such decisions because they know their area better than central government does.
He says if councils controlled services such as transport and education, people would be more interested in voting at local body elections.
One of the panellists discussing the idea, columnist Rod Oram says at the moment New Zealand's local economies just are not capable of being responsible for key infrastructure.
