Rotorua’s Mayor Tania Tapsell has been criticised for the way she “shut down” the country’s longest-serving councillor as he tried to ask a question.
The exchange between the pair followed two councillors’ notices of motion being declined at last week’s Rotorua Lakes Council meeting.
One was councillor Lani Kereopa’s request to vote on calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, like other councils had.
Intended notices of motion are assessed by staff and the final say on whether they are heard is down to the chair of the meeting – in this case the mayor.
Ratepayers should be grateful to the Mayor for not having Councillors waste their time on meaningless gesture s that fall outside the Council’s remit. The views of Rotorua Councillors on foreign policy is not needed or wanted. They should follow the Mayor and focus on rates and infrastructure.
David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders.
2 comments:
"The views of Rotorua Councillors on foreign policy is not needed or wanted. They should follow the Mayor and focus on rates and infrastructure."
Given that the author is David Farrar, it's not hard at all to see that if a Councillor had called for more aid to Israel or the pass a motion supporting their invasion of Gaza, this would have been a very different article.
Farrar's problem isn't with Councillors focussing on irrelevant things they should not, it's a Councillor focussing on irrelevant things that Farrar opposes.
three cheers to ms tapsell for ensuring people stick to doing what they are paid for. of course, she's not the 'right type of maori' - otherwise, we would have been hearing glowing tributes from the 'establishment'...
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