In December the Local Government Commission (LGC) issued a
Draft Proposal for Reorganisation of Local Government in Northland. It
recommended a unitary authority be created by merging the Far North District
Council (FNDC), Whangarei District Council (WDC), Kaipara District Council
(KDC) and Northland Regional Council (NRC). Since then the people of Northland have turned out to have their
say. 1850 people made submissions, 165 (9%) were for and 1685 (91%) against.
Last week the Local Government Commission (LGC) held the
last of their hearings about the proposed reform of local councils in
Northland. In a democracy (where one assumes public opinion counts) one would
expect 91% against to be the end of the matter. Not so, unfortunately. I have
no doubt the three member panel will disregard the overwhelming opposition and
continue with their amalgamation recommendation. Well, they are going to have a
fight on their hands.
The three member panel
consists of Basil Morrison (chairman), Anne Carter, and Grant Kirby. Mr Morrison was not slow in coming
forward about his local government credentials. He quite comprehensively informed
submitters about his depth of experience on local councils, and as a member of
the Conservation Board and other august and influential organisations. During
the morning session I attended, he did not mention some of his other positions.
He is currently a member of the Waitangi Tribunal and the New Zealand
Geographic Board, and is a past President of Local Government New Zealand and
Chair of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum.
The experience of his fellow panel members are also
interesting. Anne Carter was the Deputy Secretary, Local Government and
Community at the Department of Internal Affairs and had previously worked at Te
Puni Kokiri and the Office of the Auditor General.
Grant Kirby is a local government consultant, working mainly
as a project director on local government related projects in the Auckland
Region. Mr Kirby’s views on amalgamation are well known. In 2006 he wrote an
article in the NZ Herald promoting the Auckland amalgamation (archive reference
10394836).
One could not have picked a better panel to recommend bigger
council’s and stronger representation of iwi interests within councils. In my
opinion there is no question this is the LGC’s agenda. That is clearly evident when
one compares the LGC’s recommendations for Northland and the Hawke’s Bay, which
is also under review.
When I attempted to show the similarities chairman Morrison
ruled the comparison irrelevant and with ever increasing decibels prevented me
from doing so.
The comparison is very relevant because the similarities are
staggering. I can only conclude the two reports were written by the same hand and
mind, despite the two regions being unique. Both said the amalgamation would
allow the regions to speak with a region wide voice. Both would have nine
councillors and a Maori Board. Both reports were word for word when saying
communities, “…would be empowered to make decisions on matters that directly
affect those local communities” and said the whole regional “approach coupled
with the region wide-tier of community boards would meet the purpose and
principles of good local government.”
And so it is throughout the two reports.
It is not unreasonable to expect those seeking public
opinion to come with an open mind and a closed mouth. After delivering my submission
I came away with the impression that the three member LGC panel arrived in the
North with a closed mind, and an open mouth.
In reply to another submitter Basil Morrison said, “If there
is not demonstrable community support for amalgamation they would pack up and
go home”. On the face of it one could
take that to mean if the public don’t want amalgamation then it will not be
imposed upon them. That of course is not the case. His comments are political weasel
words. On 14 March the Northern Advocate reported Mr Morrison as saying
“demonstrable support”, “…doesn't mean 51 per cent, it
doesn't mean the majority, it means support has to be demonstrated [for
it]."
Unfortunately we live in a democracy where some of the privileged
few who make decisions think all views are not created equal – they think their
view is more informed and therefore of
more value.
4 comments:
“Closed minds to any public opposition” is in reality, nothing more than a dictatorship, this Local Government Commission is almost a Gestapo with its decree that they and they alone, are the sole judge of what Local Government should be, and who controls it.
What Local Government needs is “Less bureaucracy”, at the same time it needs less interference from central Government. It has to regain its creditability to re define itself to its original purpose “to deliver basic services to its community at the same time representing that community”. Since 1984 Councils have been using Ratepayers as a sort of cash cow to fund grandiose and extravagant enterprises such as sports stadiums, and monopoly businesses run by council bureaucrats.
What is really frightening is the attitude of our councillors in the abandonment of the democratic way we elect our representatives. One has to ask the question “Is this an oral instruction from Parliament merely a prelude to the re-organisation of Local Government into five or six easily uncontrolled local bodies? At the same time following the mandates of the United Nations?
Couple this with the United Nations Declaration of Indigenous Rights which New Zealand signed (incidentally without the consent of the Governed) and we have a situation whereby these few Local Bodies will be governed by unelected indigenous minorities. (Without again the consent of the Governed)!
In his blog Frank shows the extent that bureaucracy has come into our society. When a majority view conflicts with the view of the bureaucracy then the majority can “Whistle in the Wind”. It shows to what level this once New Zealand great democracy has fallen too; it also shadows the rocky pathway of our future!
A future decided by and controlled not by electors, but by a centralised control over which, we as a small nation devoid of power will ultimately cease being democratic...a race of obedient apathetic robots destined for extinction.
Our Western Civilisation was built not of forms or regulations, but on initiative, innovation, ambition, the work ethic, and competition.
It was never built by bureaucrats, they can only build dictatorships.
Brian
Liberal "Wiggers" all ... these are people who have turned their coats and sold their country, so that they can look in the mirror every morning and enjoy that warm glow which comes from "saving" the Maori.
Frank, You mentiioned that Mr Morrison shouted you down when you attempted to draw parallels bewtween the Northland and Hawkes Bay proposals. That appears to be Mr Morrison's modus operandi for anything that does not please him. He shouted down everyone at the Mangawhai hearings except one individual who came along to tell him he was wonderful.
Mr Morrison bemoans the fact that Northland has had numerous mayoral changes in recent years - well what does he think of the fact that we now have the SIXTH Minister of Local Govt in the last three years??? Doesn't this illustrate the low level of care and concern for the structure that dictates how people live? When will central govt get it's act together?
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