Last night in the House after I had finished speaking on the No Democracy Auckland Reorganisation Bill, I raised the question of whether there were plans for a bigger reorganisation of local government across the country. I asked whether it was conceivable for this bulldozing National Government to create a super council for the whole of the South Island’s 1,017,300 population. In my City, Dunedin, if the Super Council was set up in a similar way to the Auckland Super City, there would be just one councillor representing the whole of Dunedin.
At the moment Dunedin has a city council of 14 counillors, 7 of whom represent Dunedin South, my electorate. Under a Super Council, my electorate might get half a councillor. Less local representation than their MP! I know it’s speculation. But it gives the people in my electorate some idea of the scale of the Auckland Super City and the ridiculous lack of representation of people at a local level. Because this new law leaves more MPs representing the people of Auckland (and potentially Dunedin) than local government representatives. Go figure!
I thought local government was about local representation. How can an individual ratepayer expect to get a hearing in Auckland? And if you’re Maori or Pacific (a quarter of Auckland’s population) forget it! With the lack of Maori and Pacific representation on the super city a huge chunk of the population (with specific and sometimes high needs) will be left out.
Now back to my speech in the House. Yes it was speculation about a Super Council in the South Island, meant to provide South Islanders (and my constituents) with a sense of perspective on just how lacking in representation this undemocratic law is. But then John Hayes (National) got up to follow me speaking. And he talked about local government in his home patch, the Wairarapa. And he made it clear there were too many Councils and there did need to be amalgamations. So I get the feeling that there’s a bigger plan at play that reaches out beyond Auckland. Are we in for a radical shake-up of local government Mr Hide?
I have just received an answer from the Minister of Local Govt, Rodney Hide, this morning to a Written Parliamentary Question confirming that he has received an aide memoire on the possible merger of the Upper Hutt and Lower Hutt City Councils. It’s starting…
“It’s starting…”
Good. Not a moment too soon.
First the councils, then parliament down to 99.
Nick, are you one of the 2 or 3 committee men who want the unbridled power to control the lives of 1.4 million people or are you in a business likely to receive a benefit through this undemocratic takeover of New Zealanders’ right to fair process?
Just asking. Everything I’ve seen in this takeover of democratic process has been all about money and personal power.
Jum, I fear you are right. it’s pretty obvious that this Goevrnment has an underlying plan and wants to install its mates to entrench a new power base. A huge power base that simply wont represent the interests of most Aucklanders. And I do fear for the rest of NZ.
Clare
This is a really good way of thinking about it. I have two South Islanders staying with me at the moment and when I explained this line of argument to them they went from amused to horrified in one step. Its worth getting this out to the media.
It’s a real power grab. The Transition Agency established today is appointed only by Rodney Hide without consultation with anyone else. He approves all of the expenditure of that Transition Agency, who in turn will have total control over the existing local councils. The democratically elected councils have just been sidelined in favour of Rodney’s mates!
Bloody revolution – the ultimate expression of democracy. Last used in the Westminster system some 320 years ago to get rid of Absolutism – next used to get rid of the petty dictators of Capitalism in NZ?
In the last local body elections , there were people running in the Nelson and Tasman elections who wanted the two councils to merge; every one of the pro-merge councillors made it in to the Nelson council, none of them made it in to the Tasman council. I was a Tasman voter against the merge, so now I really do understand the plight of the Aucklander, especially when you use the example of merging the *whole* south island.
What the South Island needs is to have our sub-national parliament as first outlined in the 1846 Constitution of New Zealand.
South Island First is a political lobby group that has been formed to persue this very agenda.
Only be having more sub-national control over our own affairs can South Islanders ever hope to have political, ecomomic and cultural independence from cities such as Auckland and Wellington.