Steven Gaskell: What a day will be like under Maori Council Wards

Local Council Area – Year 2027 And Beyond.

7:30am – Rates Bill Arrives
You open your email and see your quarterly rates have gone up another 14%. The notice lists “cultural consultation services” and “partnership initiatives” as key budget pressures. You sigh and wonder why your driveway is still full of potholes.

9:00am – Building Consent Chaos
You’re trying to get a small extension on your home approved. The council says it’s been delayed. they’re waiting for iwi cultural impact assessment. That means three more months before a decision, plus a $1,200 “heritage and spiritual site evaluation” fee.

10:15am – Council Meeting Livestream
You tune into the local council livestream. The first 45 minutes are taken up with a mihi, karakia, and speeches from iwi reps. The actual agenda fixing broken water pipes gets pushed to next week because the iwi rep says “further kōrero is needed” before progress.

1:00pm – Community Project Delayed
Your neighbourhood park upgrade is stalled. A proposed walking path crosses an area “of potential cultural significance,” even though no one can point to an actual site there. The cost of “consultation” has already added $80,000 to the budget, funded by your rates.

4:00pm – Infrastructure Bill Shock
The local newspaper reports that the new water treatment plant will now cost $22 million more than planned. Reason? Extra design changes after iwi input, plus a koha ceremony to “bless” the project site before work can begin.

7:30pm – Talking to a Neighbour
Over the fence, your neighbour a small business owner says he’s moving his workshop to another district. “It’s too hard here,” he says. “Every permit needs another round of cultural sign-off. It’s killing my deadlines and costs.”

10:00pm – News Update
The council announces a new “Cultural Advisory Office” with a $1.5m annual budget. The Mayor says it’s about “deepening partnership” but you can’t help noticing it’s being paid for entirely by rate rises.

From the ratepayer’s point of view, it’s a day of higher costs, slower services, and endless layers of bureaucracy — with little say in who’s actually making the decisions.

Steven is an entrepreneur and an ex RNZN diver who likes travelling, renovating houses, Swiss Watches, history, chocolate art and art deco.