Local government also works to ensure the future of its communities continues to be successful and prosperous (localcouncils.govt.nz). Local government performs various tasks and roles to ensure that this success extends from the present to the future. First, municipalities want to ensure continued district/regional well-being. The environment is also of great importance to local government (localcouncils.govt.nz). Furthermore, all councils generally share the same framework in terms of themes within their regions. The most present theme is democracy; involve local people in their community. Then comes diversity; local government helps New Zealand citizens realize that we are actually a diverse nation. The next topic is local choice; this is similar to local democracy, but is specialized and dependent on your own community. Finally, there is local responsibility; local governments are responsible for their communities, whereas central government is not (localcouncils.govt.nz). These four themes are critical to a fully functioning board. The local government holds elections every three years, and the elections always fall in the year before the central government elections. The next elections are scheduled for October 2016 (Janine Hayward