Wendy Geus: Reverse the 'Power of General Competence'

PM must reverse the 'Power of General Competence' to stop activism in local government before the local elections to set new spending standards.

As powerless ratepayers face the ongoing tyranny of marxist councils over rates bills and the local  government minister's  repeated demands for sensible spending fall on deaf ears, the Prime Minister continues to ignore the obvious solution.

 

Requests by Simon Watts imploring Tauranga and other councils to rein in the wasteful spending are ignored as renegade mayors like Mahe Drysdale go crazy (like kids in a sweet shop) giving away taxpayer owned land to Maori and other corrupt, wasteful spending.

 

Reversing 'the power of general competence' legislated by socialist Helen in the early 2000s, would force attention back on delivery of essential services, rein in rates rises and improve the standard of living of long suffering rate payers.

 

Unlike Trump who goes in like a bull-at-a-gate and changes things, our PM and  ministers stand by wringing their hands timidly asking marxist councillors and staff to do the right thing. This is like so much virtue signalling on an issue Simeon Brown was threatening to address before he was promptly moved to the health ministry early this year.... curiouser and curiouser.

 

Instead a deflecting Willis now turns our attention to a task akin to pushing back the tide: lowering supermarket prices; admirable, but probably impossible.

 

Luxon showed that he is quite capable of some slick sleight of hand when it suits his purposes. (to get a budget over the line)

 

Consider the pay parity bill.

 

Now you see Labour's old version, then, faster than Dynamo, the new improved bill produced out of Brook van Veldon's hat, was passed into law under urgency.

 

If the government genuinely wanted to help struggling New Zealanders they would  have begun enacting the bill reversal in 2023. However it suits them to virtue signal and let councils carry out race based policies they profess to be against and can blame them for.

 

They lie.

 

The force working in government, so Luxon doesn't have to, is opportunist Tama Potaka, winning Hamilton West in the 2022 by-election, knowing Labour were heading for the wilderness. Luxon, forgetting his election promises and intent on taking his own path (like Ardern) once in power, has given full rein to Potaka, his Maori spokesperson, a new star.

 

Speaking out on issues, referring to New Zealand as Aoteroa New Zealand in the House and else where without a murmur of dissent from so called tough commentators like Mike Hosking, who has coined the late Bob Jones' 'Maorification of NZ' as his own.

 

When questioned Luxon defers from knowing or owning that nasty term. He mostly leaves that unpalatable stuff to his activist Maori spokesperson.

 

 Tut tutting on Twitter (X) when Seymour spoke of 'racist' media questions and of Maori targetted spending as 'racist'. (Seen as the ultimate taboo by the radical media ideologues.) Potaka is all business

 

Tony Vaughn on Breaking Views opines:

 

'Tama Potaka is not a moderate. He is the acceptable face of racial separatism. A handsome cipher in a navy-blue suit, offering respectable cover for policies that are, in effect, apartheid with PR spin.'

 

I couldn't have put it better.

 

No doubt Potaka had a say in forcing the vote forward on Maori wards to this year's election so even those councils who voted against their Maori wards have another term before they cease. Seymour folded like a wet umbrella on that one (not being the master of the behind-the-scenes tantrum like Winston)

 

I know our city voted against Maori wards back in 2019 during the year, so come the election that year, there were none. Easy peasy.

 

Luxon fires on all cylinders, speaking with authority, when he is one step removed from the decision. Consider the punishment doled out to the Maori MPs for their 'Haka of Victimhood' (to quote Shane Jones) with 3 weeks ban and removal of pay.

I wouldn't like his chances arguing the point against fiery Collins and Peters. However he can quite rightly say that the powerful privileges committee decision is final. And never waver. In the end they are carrying the can, not him and that is just the way he likes it. He lacks the courage of his convictions, necessary for real leadership.

 

This decision will count in the government's favour, with a public sick of the Maori Party's antics.

 

And it is a just decision considering the baptism of fire Seymour had gone through, from the shonky running of the Treaty Principles Bill's select committee; the ungracious behaviour of 'activists' Luxon and Potaka; with official records which will conceal corrupt counting methods and processes; culminating in a dramatic intimidating adult tantrum gaining global attention for all the wrong reasons.

 

Also given the Maori Party leaders' sketchy attendance record in the House where they get paid whether there or not, losing three weeks’ pay might just about even it up!

 

The Maori Party, unused to accountability, are finally finding their actions have consequences.

 

Hard of hearing Speaker, Mr Brownlee who could have stopped the clown show before it got underway (by cutting the live feed for a start) will be most unpopular if he, in his quest to incorporate  all things Maori into parliament, thinks rude imbecilic behaviour like this counts as 'Te Kanga' (behavioural guidelines for living with others)

 

And here was I under the impression that mythical 'obligations to the treaty' were to be REMOVED not added, as part of the Coalition Agreement.

 

If you are to get your point across you will have to brush up on your tantrum technique, David!

Wendy Geus is a former speechwriter and generalist communications advisor in local government. She now writes for the pure love of it.