Source: Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi
The coalition government has slipped several changes into the Local Government (Systems Improvement) Bill that will significantly weaken mana whenua representation at a local government level, the PSA says.
One significant change is removing voting rights from council-appointed members of council committees, so decisions can be made without them.
“Make no mistake, this change – made quietly and quickly without consultation as parliament wraps up for the term – is squarely targeted at tokenising mana whenua representation in local government,” Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi Kaihautū Māori, Jack McDonald, says.
“These changes are not about enhancing democracy. They are about scaremongering and pandering to the outdated racist views of people who are threatened by iwi Māori having a say on what goes on in their rohe.”
Official advice on the bill changes warns that removing voting rights from appointed committee members would likely make councils less functional overall.
“The Regulatory Impact Statement on the bill questions whether the problem the Government is looking to solve really exists.
“Without the advice of mana whenua and other appointed members of committees, councils will not effectively integrate their expertise and be the poorer for it.
“The RIS also states that most councils will need to undertake governance restructuring when the bill passes – just another thing that councils will need to reform, on top of amalgamating, RMA reform, and new water entities.
“The PSA strongly opposes removing voting rights from appointed local government committee members. Like so much of the legislation brought through parliament by the coalition this term, these changes are being snuck through without proper consultation and is aimed at weakening Te Tiriti and Māori representation in local governance.”
The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.