Category: Local Government
There are many reasons the Coalition should press pause on their local government reforms, but the most important is their fundamentally undemocratic and draconian approach. They are not only disrespecting the wishes of local communities but trampling on their rights to determine how their voices are represented around the decision-making table.
For all the noise about “simplifying” local government in Northland, one question remains unanswered: where has bigger ever proven better? No one can point to a single example in New Zealand where amalgamation has delivered lower costs, better services, or stronger communities.
The bureaucratic architecture driving New Zealand’s climate compliance is, in effect, “gold plated” because government institutions were directed by the Ardern administration to embed extreme modelling assumptions into every level of decision-making.
The retirement of implausible baseline climate scenarios is now starting to have real-world consequences as decision makers realize they’ve been making decisions that have had unnecessary real-world, negative impacts on their constituents and clients.
The battle for local democracy is not over. If the Coalition fails to act decisively, the tribal capture of local government will continue — not because the public wants it, but because too many councils have already been captured by iwi interests. The Coalition has the opportunity to stop it – can People Power convince it to do so?
It is so disappointing that National-led governments have failed to deliver legislation that adequately protects democratic accountability. We can expect unelected individuals or groups to continue to ‘sit at the table’ to vote, influence or intimidate elected councillors, and win all sorts of race-based entitlements, including outright control.
These recent attempts by iwi leaders to control local government show just how serious this tribal takeover has become. Just because the government changed, it doesn’t mean New Zealand is safe. Quite the opposite. With the framework for tribal rule already in place, iwi are now hunting for every opportunity to impose their controls onto an unsuspecting public.
FNDC is subverting the fundamental tenets of local government. It is deliberate defiance of legislative requirements sacrificing democracy and the rule of law in the advancement of an ideological cause. The Minister should demonstrate his commitment to democracy and the rule of law by taking action without further hesitation.
When it comes to the mainstream media, the public wants balance – both sides of issues so they can make up their own mind. They do not want the current Orwellian world where truth is labelled as misinformation and those seeking to hold power to account are hunted down and cancelled.
The effects-based approach that relied on the discretion of planning staff had become captured by vested interest groups intent on advancing their own political agendas or lining their own pockets, and that includes Maori who have latched onto the financial advantages of the special status successive governments have granted them under the pretence of a Treaty partnership.
Loading ...
