Post by Kiwi Frontline on Oct 19, 2019 4:36:33 GMT 12
LOCAL DEMOCRACY 2019
Some candidates felt compelled to use the opportunity to highlight their serious concerns by standing on a principle with little expectation of success.
One of those was Michael Coote, who stood for the Auckland Mayoralty. He wanted to give Aucklanders, concerned about the rise in race-based privilege, the option of lodging a protest vote for racial equality. His campaign statement in the voting booklet said:
“Multi-ethnic, multi-cultural Auckland City must be a society of strict racial equality for all. Auckland Council must respect this fundamental principle of modern liberal democratic civilisation. There is no justice in Auckland Council granting, enabling or facilitating special rights and privileges, or providing separatist treatment, for any part of Auckland’s diverse community on the basis of racial or ethnic affiliation. For example, Auckland Council’s plans, policies, procedures and structures should not discriminate in favour of Maori members of the community over any others, but should apply equal status, validity and opportunity to all Aucklanders as residents and ratepayers. Any aspect of Auckland Council which does not conform with racial egalitarianism should be abolished, as too should be entities such as the Independent Maori Statutory Board, which places voting members on Auckland Council committees who are unelected by the general public. If you agree, please vote for Michael Coote.”
And 5,530 people did agree, voting Michael 7th out of the 21 candidates in the Mayoralty race. While he is not able to personally promote this cause from within Council, one hopes that his stand will encourage those who have been elected to speak up for racial equality.
And it’s not just in Auckland where councillors need to take a stand, but all around the country.
Especially, it seems in Otago, as this week’s NZCPR Guest Commentator former Regional Councillor and MP Gerry Eckhoff explains:
“Just prior to the Local Government election, the Otago Regional Council voted to appoint two representatives of Ngai Tahu with full voting rights onto the Policy Committee, which deals with the allocation of fresh water. This decision – in the final days of the ORC’s train wreck tenure – was as wrong as it was predictable. It is an affront to representative democracy as we expect it to function.
“The question as to why we the people were never consulted over this appointment is obvious. Reserving seats for Ngai Tahu to the full council would have opened up the council up to a petition to hold a referendum of the people of Otago – which could easily have been included in the Local Government election process.”
The question for the new council is whether they will revoke the anti-democratic decision made by their predecessors that unelected and unaccountable iwi would sit at the council table with the same voting rights as elected councillors. While elected representatives swear an oath requiring them to act “in the best interests of this region”, the allegiance of appointed Ngai Tahu representatives is solely to their Iwi.
With the committee they joined being responsible for the allocation of freshwater in the region, and with Ngai Tahu Corporation operating many businesses that rely on freshwater, their conflict of interest is plain to see.
When the matter was debated by the former council, Councillor Michael Laws opposed the appointments saying they were “racist” and “undemocratic”. He was concerned the appointees would focus solely on benefits for Ngai Tahu, rather than the best interest of the Otago region.
Now that Cr Laws has been re-elected, he should be encourage to table a motion to revoke the previous council’s decision on the basis that it was undemocratic and that the people of the region were not consulted.....
Read the full NZCPR newsletter here > www.nzcpr.com/local-democracy-2019/#more-30614
Some candidates felt compelled to use the opportunity to highlight their serious concerns by standing on a principle with little expectation of success.
One of those was Michael Coote, who stood for the Auckland Mayoralty. He wanted to give Aucklanders, concerned about the rise in race-based privilege, the option of lodging a protest vote for racial equality. His campaign statement in the voting booklet said:
“Multi-ethnic, multi-cultural Auckland City must be a society of strict racial equality for all. Auckland Council must respect this fundamental principle of modern liberal democratic civilisation. There is no justice in Auckland Council granting, enabling or facilitating special rights and privileges, or providing separatist treatment, for any part of Auckland’s diverse community on the basis of racial or ethnic affiliation. For example, Auckland Council’s plans, policies, procedures and structures should not discriminate in favour of Maori members of the community over any others, but should apply equal status, validity and opportunity to all Aucklanders as residents and ratepayers. Any aspect of Auckland Council which does not conform with racial egalitarianism should be abolished, as too should be entities such as the Independent Maori Statutory Board, which places voting members on Auckland Council committees who are unelected by the general public. If you agree, please vote for Michael Coote.”
And 5,530 people did agree, voting Michael 7th out of the 21 candidates in the Mayoralty race. While he is not able to personally promote this cause from within Council, one hopes that his stand will encourage those who have been elected to speak up for racial equality.
And it’s not just in Auckland where councillors need to take a stand, but all around the country.
Especially, it seems in Otago, as this week’s NZCPR Guest Commentator former Regional Councillor and MP Gerry Eckhoff explains:
“Just prior to the Local Government election, the Otago Regional Council voted to appoint two representatives of Ngai Tahu with full voting rights onto the Policy Committee, which deals with the allocation of fresh water. This decision – in the final days of the ORC’s train wreck tenure – was as wrong as it was predictable. It is an affront to representative democracy as we expect it to function.
“The question as to why we the people were never consulted over this appointment is obvious. Reserving seats for Ngai Tahu to the full council would have opened up the council up to a petition to hold a referendum of the people of Otago – which could easily have been included in the Local Government election process.”
The question for the new council is whether they will revoke the anti-democratic decision made by their predecessors that unelected and unaccountable iwi would sit at the council table with the same voting rights as elected councillors. While elected representatives swear an oath requiring them to act “in the best interests of this region”, the allegiance of appointed Ngai Tahu representatives is solely to their Iwi.
With the committee they joined being responsible for the allocation of freshwater in the region, and with Ngai Tahu Corporation operating many businesses that rely on freshwater, their conflict of interest is plain to see.
When the matter was debated by the former council, Councillor Michael Laws opposed the appointments saying they were “racist” and “undemocratic”. He was concerned the appointees would focus solely on benefits for Ngai Tahu, rather than the best interest of the Otago region.
Now that Cr Laws has been re-elected, he should be encourage to table a motion to revoke the previous council’s decision on the basis that it was undemocratic and that the people of the region were not consulted.....
Read the full NZCPR newsletter here > www.nzcpr.com/local-democracy-2019/#more-30614