Over the weekend I have been out and about with volunteers delivering a constituent survey to every household in the electorate. As I’ve been pounding the pavements I’ve run into quite a few people who are keen to chat. One of the common questions I’ve been getting in Upper Hutt is “Are we next?”
The Auckland Super City amalgamation certainly has a few people worried. If they try to ram similar reforms through in other parts of the country we could lose our local councils without local people ever having a chance to have their say. That concern is only heightened by Rodney Hide’s declaration last week that he wants to see the Super City model “replicated around the country“.
The National/Act government has no mandate for widespread local government reform, although given the cavalier attitude they have taken towards democracy in ramming through the Auckland super city legislation, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if they decided to do the same in other parts of the country. People clearly have reason to be worried.
Given that they’re making an absolute meal of it in Auckland I don’t think there’s much chance of the government touching anything else to do with local government for quite some time.
I’m not sure about that, jarbury. As Chippie says, Hide is boasting about this and suggesting it should be replicated elsewhere:
http://www.beehive.govt.nz/speech/address+northshore+grey+power+agm
Rodney Hide has also been meeting mayors up and down the country and one of the things he has been getting advice on before those meetings is further amalgamations. In answers to written parliamentary questions I put to him he confirmed he had received information on a possible merger of the Hutt Councils. I’ve asked for that information under the OIA but he hasn’t yet released it.
I guess it will depend on how things go from the Auckland process. If the government does some serious “back down” over issues like Maori councillors, getting rid of at large councillors and actually giving the local boards some say then things might not turn out to be quite so bad.
There seems to be a strong push for the final piece of legislation to be ratified by way of a referendum. Interesting to see what Rodney Hide would have to say about that!
Rodney will not have the final say on this. Do not be surprised if the ground is cut from under his feet after the select committee.
The latest Shape NZ poll shows 58 percent of Hutt City and 78 percent of Upper Hutt City do NOT want a supercity in their area. So, you’re on safe grounds with the public, not that provides any reassurance against Hide and his jackboots.
And another thing, you need to get hold of Hide’s latest cabinet paper that rips the guts out of local government, and sort out a meet with your local mayors and councillors and get them up to speed too.
Yeah the government I imagine will have the Local Government Act 2002 as a target before too long. They’ll surely see “wellbeing” as being far too wishy-washy and want councils to get back to the 3 Rs of local government: roading, rubbish and rates.
So much for progress. Gah!
Jarbury, too late. The 2002 LG Act is a gonner. The government paper will outlaw LG involvement in “social, economic, environmental, and cultural community outcomes.” Only potholes and trash left. And don’t forget the gutting of the protections in the Building Act, also in the pipeline.
It seems like Rodders is just trying to get rid of councils so in the end he has less to deal with.
I’m going to go all Chris Crocker on him in a minute, “leave Wellington alone!”
Pita Sharples will say we agree to disagree and talk about the “Great Outcome for Maori”.
“The National/Act government has no mandate for widespread local government reform, ”
A characteristic of right-wing parties around the world – if they get elected they assume that they have a mandate whether they asked their constituents or not.
Indeed indeed: http://scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0906/S00103.htm
I think it is a well placed fear to be worried about what NAct might do in relation to local councils around the country. National and ACT both wholly believe in small government, there are arguments either way about that but essentially the idea from a traditional liberal point of view is that you minimise the size of government and allow the market to supply the services demanded by the community at the price the community is prepared to pay for that.
That does a couple of things, it leaves companies an opportunity, this is fine, but it means that the market determines the appropriate price and you can cut tax as much as you like but services will never be delivered in a way that is met by the reduction in taxes. Besides, demand doesn’t work in such a pure way.
The other thing that we would be concerned about would be the fact that we lose the local level decision making power that inherintly comes with local government. Give big councils more power, ok, but corporates still control the supply of services and we are not about to see many coprorates act in the social good.
Developing Wellington into a “super City” has no merit when you consider the disparate nature of needs within the boundaries of what you would expect to see in such a city. Hide has rammed through a liberal agenda, one not matched with appropriate subsidiary policy changes that will only result in either an impotent corporate council structure with no control or oversight over the mechanisms under its control, or a board of governors completely devoid of responsibility and accountability.
Sure, councils will always be elected but what kind of damage can you inflict with a structure that creates an environment of abandonment for the things that matter in small New Zealand communities. Let’s not be precious though, a super city could work indeed, but not the way it’s being developed now and not without mandate of those concerned.
The next “Drinks and Deliberation” session at the Murphy’s Law Bar Jackson Street Petone 7 pm for 7.30pm start 8.30pm strict finish 29 June will be on exactly this topic.
It will be led by Grant Robertson as one of a series to introduce Wellington / Hutt people to the new MPs.
Last session with Jacinda went really well. Not restricted to people who are members of any party but for those interested in politics and their friends. Generally earlier and some stay on for food and drink but designed for busy people who want to do something else in the evening.
I think a few will turn up around 6.30pm and get some food. Good solid winter food there at the moment. Lamb shanks made from lambs not elderly rams post hill country tupping.
This government just acknowledged the superb work of Porirua City Council with the country’s highest award for community service, yet it’s becoming quite clear that they intend to turn around and abolish that very same council sooner or later. Sigh.