A sitting councillor, Davina Smolders has come forward in an interview with Duncan Garner on his podcast and described what is happening inside the Far North District Council. This is no petty disagreement over policy. It is a fundamental shift in who is exercising power and the complete overriding of democracy.
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We are calling for Minister for Local Government Simon Watts to step in and appoint a Crown Observer.
Why? Because Councillor Smolders says on key council committees, unelected iwi and hapū representatives now outnumber elected councillors. These are not advisory positions where they simply provide input. These are unelected people directly making decisions that flow through to full council; decisions that determine spending, priorities, and the rates that local families are forced to pay.
That means the people driving key decisions are, in many cases, not elected by the public, not accountable to voters, and not removable through any democratic process.
This is a direct challenge to the basic idea of representative government in New Zealand.
Councillor Smolders has done exactly what you would expect from someone taking their role seriously. She has raised concerns internally, attempted to work through the proper channels, and ultimately gone to central government asking for intervention.
She has called for a Crown Observer to be appointed so that there is independent oversight of what is happening and some restoration of accountability. Local residents have backed that call. Their concerns have been put clearly and directly to the Minister of Local Government, Simon Watts.
And nothing has happened.
Minister Watts has been made aware that a large number of unelected people have effectively taken over a council and he has done nothing. No intervention. No sense of urgency.
Is anyone else in the Government aware of this? It isn't a trivial issue. It is extremely serious and yet it isn't being treated with the seriousness it deserves.
Inaction is a decision. If the Government refuses to act when there are credible concerns about democratic accountability breaking down, then it is effectively endorsing what is happening.
We have reminded them countless times before, but I'll say it again, this Government was elected with a mandate to remove co-governance. They promised to remove it. That this is happening on their watch is unacceptable. Broken promises.
This should concern people well beyond the Far North, because it will not stay contained. If arrangements like this are allowed to continue without scrutiny or pushback, they will be replicated. They will become normalised as other groups realise they can get away with just walking in and taking over.
This is how power shifts in practice... through quiet changes that most people only notice once the balance has already tipped. When they look around and notice there are more unelected members in the room than elected ones.
We have launched a petition to force this issue into the open and demand action. We are calling on the Minister to appoint a Crown Observer to the Far North District Council immediately, to investigate what is happening and to ensure that democratic accountability is upheld.
This is not even an extreme demand. It is the minimum you would expect when serious concerns have been raised and the integrity of decision-making is in question.
If everything is above board, then there should be no resistance to independent oversight. If it is not, then the public deserves to know.
What is not acceptable is silence and inaction. Wake up, Minister Watts!......The full article is published HERE
Elliot Ikilei is the spokesperson for Hobson's Pledge.
That means the people driving key decisions are, in many cases, not elected by the public, not accountable to voters, and not removable through any democratic process.
This is a direct challenge to the basic idea of representative government in New Zealand.
Councillor Smolders has done exactly what you would expect from someone taking their role seriously. She has raised concerns internally, attempted to work through the proper channels, and ultimately gone to central government asking for intervention.
She has called for a Crown Observer to be appointed so that there is independent oversight of what is happening and some restoration of accountability. Local residents have backed that call. Their concerns have been put clearly and directly to the Minister of Local Government, Simon Watts.
And nothing has happened.
Minister Watts has been made aware that a large number of unelected people have effectively taken over a council and he has done nothing. No intervention. No sense of urgency.
Is anyone else in the Government aware of this? It isn't a trivial issue. It is extremely serious and yet it isn't being treated with the seriousness it deserves.
Inaction is a decision. If the Government refuses to act when there are credible concerns about democratic accountability breaking down, then it is effectively endorsing what is happening.
We have reminded them countless times before, but I'll say it again, this Government was elected with a mandate to remove co-governance. They promised to remove it. That this is happening on their watch is unacceptable. Broken promises.
This should concern people well beyond the Far North, because it will not stay contained. If arrangements like this are allowed to continue without scrutiny or pushback, they will be replicated. They will become normalised as other groups realise they can get away with just walking in and taking over.
This is how power shifts in practice... through quiet changes that most people only notice once the balance has already tipped. When they look around and notice there are more unelected members in the room than elected ones.
We have launched a petition to force this issue into the open and demand action. We are calling on the Minister to appoint a Crown Observer to the Far North District Council immediately, to investigate what is happening and to ensure that democratic accountability is upheld.
This is not even an extreme demand. It is the minimum you would expect when serious concerns have been raised and the integrity of decision-making is in question.
If everything is above board, then there should be no resistance to independent oversight. If it is not, then the public deserves to know.
What is not acceptable is silence and inaction. Wake up, Minister Watts!......The full article is published HERE
Elliot Ikilei is the spokesperson for Hobson's Pledge.
3 comments:
One would say send in the military….but our military are now ideologically aligned with the people doing the takeover
Minister for Local Govt, Simon Watts, is out of his depth. If his primary role is Luxon’s official Net-Zero Climate Alarmist keeping Ardern’s “Nuclear Moment” intact, how on earth can he be expected solve real issues in the Far North. The clock is ticking and Luxon has squandered his opportunity to repair the damage created by the last dreadful Govt.
Utterly despicable, and National is complicit by their lack of action. They do not deserve to be the dominant party in government. Like the space they occupy, a vote for them is wasted.
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