Urban Rural Divide

For years it has been purported that there has been an urban rural divide.

New Zealand used to have a population where nearly everyone had a contact or family that had a rural connection. It was common to have holidays on a farm or to go and stay with relatives and enjoy a break from city life.

Kiwis understood what went on in the country and there was a common sense of purpose .

Over the last few years with a surge in population the division is more apparent and the latest round of Government dictates has emphasised how far things have moved .How the gap has widened and how out of touch some urbanites are with the rural sector.

Some of the suggestions coming out of suburbia to solve Local Government problems are frankly scary and underline how far down the track we are to ignoring the importance of the rural sector and its key role in leading export returns for New Zealand.

The South Island is surging ahead with a shift in population discovering once quiet , comfortable and beautiful surroundings that are now being settled with carefully coloured and positioned houses that overlook lakes and valleys and vineyards that will soon be spoilt in the rush.

It's bloody cold in the winter but that's good for skiing and closed roads and panel beaters .

The urban excitement taking place is going to play out in more control of rural problems, as the Government shifts democratic decision making  from land owners to wannabe landowners and environmental zealots  that think they understand nature. 

One suggested solution to changing local government has a business model with experts around a table making decisions (because business people know best) .They will have representatives of all interested parties of course but once set up it will be an arrogant takeover of ratepayers money in to yet another trough for mates and matesses.

We are in for a major shift to urban control of rural areas and farmers, growers and related people of the land are in for a very difficult time.    

   

Unfathomable

Over the last week their have been many media stories about the forced local government  agenda and it is truly alarming the extent and speed by which things are rolling out.

As well, it is alarming that the variations being proposed are creating an absolute mish mash of options that are going to have ratepayers crying in their home havens while trying to decipher what is happening to their councils that have become agents of theft and chambers of non representation.

One council came out and said there is no way they are going to play the game and another had options that read like the  confusion of a kindergarten playground . Clearly no clear organisation and a poor attempt at appeasing a bullying government .

New proposed councils that have urban Mayors leading regions is going to lead to mayhem among rural ratepayers and before long calls to reinstate what we had established. 

A Minister came out and said he had been told to go harder and faster. By whom? 

That has to be a big porkie and if true, could only come from those who have an agenda that believes in the tooth fairy that tells them the rates will come down if they do as they are told.

It is a pity the Minister was not questioned by the compliant media person although he was part of the crowd who have been convinced bigger is better and rates will be reduced. 

Another horror story came from another minister who , while puffed up like a pious pigeon , said that if councils don't do as they are told the invisible bureaucrats in Wellington will make the decision for them' This is wrong on so many fronts and yet there is little resistance.     

It is a totally undemocratic and affront to ratepayers to think that  the shiny arse brigade residing in Wellington have any idea of the complicated makeup of regional New Zealand and how local government operates.

Imposing  the urban approach to many rural areas throughout the country is going to challenge long time established norms and pitch rural against urban like never before.

All ratepayers want rates to come down but this is not the way to do it.       

 

 Forcing Ratepayers

I'm surprised there has not been more pushback from ratepayers over a Government threatening to force councils to amalgamate in some form or face the wrath of a Minister who is driven by some ideological dream that has convinced him that bigger is better and Central government knows better than the people on the ground.

It was telling this last week when a former  National Minister,  now Councillor , admitted that after supporting the Auckland Super Council he now sees it as a failure.

The touted savings never eventuated and in fact have increased by 25% and staff numbers keep growing.

This is what will happen around the country if the dictates of the current minister occur.  

Local Government is just that , local. That's the way it should stay . The bigger is better argument does not apply in this situation because of the roles of councils and the variation of situations throughout New Zealand.

The worst part of the equation is the elimination of Regional Councils.

The role of Regional Councils is critical in maintaining an infrastructure around catchments that has been only too critical in recent times. 

If they are absorbed in to unitary authorities the importance of regional issues such as pests, catchments ,water , air , TB, transport and others will be diminished by the urban clamour for dollars for never ending desires of never been in business busybodies who expand their expenditure like a ratepayer bungy .

There will also be small councils that are fiscally responsible and have little or no debt that will get swallowed up in the quest for council perfection.

That's without getting in to the ownership of assets like ports that were deliberately given to regional councils in the 1998 restructuring. 

That's another big argument.   

 An End to 2C

Those in category 2c following Gabrielle have had a long wait to finally see the tag removed.

It was like a mark on your life as though you had done something wrong. Now the work that is being done or will be done to theoretically make us safer has proven enough to authorities to shift us all back to the land of normal.

No one out there in wider society will have any idea about the effectiveness or not of a reaction that has cost millions in questionable expenditure.

It is amazing what can be done with modelling but all the modelling in the world will not replace accumulated  experience and logic of learned engineers and long term residents that  could have been instrumental in injecting solutions for the people that did not cost a fortune and maintained our  long term prospects.

It has been sad to see a community go from an area where it was sought after, a prime location, thriving,  productive and busy to a shadow of itself and now being eyed up by some who have no respect for the potential that still exists in the surrounding land.           

 Amalgamation Mess

The more examples of proposed  amalgamation plans that are gaining media attention , the more it explains the folly of the move to force local government to travel down a path no one really wants.

It is highly likely the wrong people are in charge of coming up with these plans in the first place and the politics behind the scenes must be extraordinary.

It really is a mess.

To solve a problem first one must understand what one is trying to solve. Local Government is a strange beast as there are so many variables in the best country in the world and trying to fit all these variables in to the same box is a task fraught with difficulty .

Aside from the complexity is the raft of legislation that dictates the course of local government .So many dictates that guide the people through their complicated lives.

Options appearing include total amalgamations, part amalgamations , unitary authorities, halving authorities and some saying no to any change.

I think this reflects the stupidity of government trying to force ratepayers into a corner. 

The problem with local government was never properly identified thus the dire situation we are in ow and it will get worse if there is follow through.

There was at least one Mayor or former Mayor who identified what were the problems and how to approach them.

Hooray.

We are going to end up with a terrible model of local government and at a time when water is being corporatised along with other major legislative changes the future is looking extremely challenging.       

 Reforms Agenda

What is the agenda of those pushing the RMA reforms?

The agenda is supposedly aimed at making Local Government more efficient , less costly to ratepayers and to have less regulation to allow more development.

During the week it was apparent again from the proponents  that they were working in this void where they were oblivious to historical events and as well they were deaf to any advice from experienced operators who understand the past performance of legislation and reasons why there were reactions and actions played out in case law and  events that had a shaped a path to deal with managing resources.

Young Ministers sit in the house and spout as though nothing significant  has happened historically in the area of responsibility.  

It is hard to comprehend.

Simon Upton had made some sensible comments in response to what is happening and the response from the Minister of unnecessary reforms was scathing in his put down of  a once respected Minister.

Around the country we have reports coming out with similar themes. Oh there will be savings by reducing the number of administrative staff . Millions and millions but surprise surprise the council activities will still be required and in no time a new setup will expand and we will be back to square one.

What will happen to democracy? 

New large authorities will be more distant from the ratepayers and there will be no more 'local' in local democracy.   

We are in for a rough ride in the next few years.

Authorities

They came and wrecked our houses

ripping them apart

tearing out the organs 

the kitchen , showers and bath.

Nothing stood in the way

It was a target

holding tight held no sway.

They could rip it from the hinges, rip it from the floor,

prise it from its brackets

going door to door.

It didn't take long

for the ghosts , unseen , to leave a shell.

An  unwelcome response, at a time of living hell.

Reinventing the Wheel

The ongoing discussions around a politicians dream are costing thousands of dollars and hours of time going around and around issues that have been before us not too long ago and bypassing solutions that astute observers are already aware of.

I have mentioned catchments previously and over the last week have listened to discussions by people that have finally discovered these things called catchments and that they are real and you can't divvy them up in some great deranged attempt at cutting costs foist upon us from bureaucrats and politicians that live in an alternative universe.

Catchments are the crutch of the issue and one of the main reasons that regional councils were formed.

To listen to a new raft of  parties trying to reinvent what we already have is frustrating and disappointing.

This is coming about because of the loss of institutional knowledge. Local government (and other bodies) have gone through a period where the experienced engineers, on the ground operators and a raft of  knowledge carrying staff were quietly moved on to retirement and other areas of endeavour.

The impact on this has been drastically underestimated as the new crew of know it alls have been left floundering and bereft of ideas when it comes to dealing with problems.

It was obvious following Gabrielle but three years down the track it is apparent that the whole country is suffering from knowledge neglect.

So we have commentators and even politicians discovering things like riparian planting and wilding pines as though they have just appeared out of the woodwork.

  Listening to a new crop of MP's in the house is concerning as many are young and have not had the benefit of working with experienced MP's and it shows in answers at question time. It's pretty sad.

I am hoping that there will be some changes after the election that will see wiser heads prevail but given some of the players involved  I am losing hope.

Ratepayers will be losers next year. 

    

Catchments Key

Perusing more reports from various regions  tackling the forced reforms I note a common theme that is not a surprise.

Historically New Zealand has always had a body responsible for catchments .It's not half obvious why given the last few years and the challenges thrown at the country by natural forces.

It is critical that NZ understands how important catchments are in the development of our regions as they have a major impact on water and it's path to the sea. Catchments  have been understood for many years but lately have not had the understanding of politicians or the community as they have become lost in the political desire to build flash facilities instead of  infrastructure that protects and provides.

The new crop of politicians are like Johnny come latelys with their approach to dealing with headaches such as why Local Government has become top heavy and dictatorial .

They need to look in the mirror and ask who created the problem.

Shucks I find myself agreeing with the latest from the NZ Initiative who have correctly identified the crux of the Local Government largesse.

A senior fellow with the NZI has said the current problem with local government is not too many councils but that too much power has been taken away from local communities and moved to central government .He says council staff have too much power and councillors are effectively rubber stamping decisions made by staff.

I have been saying for some time that central government is responsible for the increasing workload of councils and issues such as the climate scam have a band of merry advocates all around the country trying to change the temperature. The only temperature change is occurring to ratepayers that are paying for a dream.

Jones and Watts and Bishop have wrongly identified the reason why rates are forever rising and the rude attack on local government misses the target completely.

The worst part of the bullying is the forced removal of regional councillors. Regional councils are critical in regional responsibilities such as the control of rivers and water. Water allocation needs to be with a body separated from main users of the resource , urban populations.

It is a classic poacher game keeper situation but it is misunderstood by most ratepayers.

Proposals emerging to address the bullying see catchments split down the middle, boundaries being played with and representation  resets that will cause major problems in the future.

Hawkes Bay rural sector should be shaking in their gumboots if a Mayor of an urban area is in control of regional rural issues.

Leave the dam situation as it is and stop causing so much angst and cost to ratepayers.

      

 More Money

Talk about money.

Headline today in the ODT says that analysis estimated to cost $60,000 is expected to bring focus to talks about reshaping Local Government on Otago.

Repeat this around the country and there will be millions spent by councils that have been forced by Central Government to confront a major change in the makeup of  their fiefdoms.

Well that may not be fair in most cases and putting the boot in to Regional Councils will see the biggest disenfranchising of the rural sector since 1989.

You have to question who is going to do the analysis . Inhouse? Independent? Bureaucrats ?

This is a huge waste of money and once again the long suffering ratepayer will cough up .

At the same time another headline mentions the Westland District Council (note District Council) $8.6 million payroll figure that has been defended after the number and cost of staff  was raised at the table.

Wow!

Now we are talking. Getting to the nub of the problem.

But Bish and co will carry on in their costly bid to  rearrange LG .Sad.

    

 It's a Question of Money

Reflecting on the flurry of activity following Gabrielle makes one question who was driving the decision making and who was trying to avoid money. Eg responsibility. Any responsibility.

Decisions had to be made and there were some good people involved . It was also a time for some objective analysis  and cool minds to assist in working through an emotional and traumatic period.

One mistake that was made in my opinion was the categorisation of flooded areas because this immediately caused a reaction from affected ratepayers. It was a hasty decision .Heartless and far reaching in it's pointed targeting of some and relief  for others.

The affect was to pitch ratepayer against ratepayer and cause jostling for positions in line for the best payout.

Fairness was lost in the quest to solve problems that needed better  understanding and satisfactory solutions.

At the moment I believe that move to categorise was a knee jerk reaction to copy the Christchurch earthquake situation.

I have never had time to investigate how that worked for Christchurch but it was wrong to use it as a blueprint following Gabrielle.

Large sums of money were  paid out in  and it was all confidential. We will never know the details but it is probable that some lost out and some did very well.

Was the whole deal made to benefit the banks, the insurance industry , the councils and the Government?

Something to ponder.

I feel the flood response in Carolina had a better foundation where all affected owners had a sum paid to them to help the process. I believe the payment was in the vicinity of $45 K.

A payment such as this  could have been covered by the Regional Council. This was an emergency and the responsibility for what happened could be possibly laid at the door of the HBRC given the evidence that emerged and the clarification of how events happened.

That is for another day but I suggest the RC could have made  general payment given they have such a large investment fund.

The fund has been built up in some large part due to the sale of leasehold land inherited following the 1931 earthquake.

It would be fitting to use those funds from one disaster to help in another.

Of course it is denial all the way because they do not want to admit liability and face consequences.

They have around $500 million that could have been tapped to help impacted ratepayers and Government could have facilitated that happening if required to do so.

There should be some lessons learnt from this disaster.         

Money

I was watching a discussion on YT about  financial advice and investing money.

The financial advisor was saying how every clients situation was so different and gave a number of examples of   situations where planning was made to suit the clients requirements.

Not surprising but it made me think of the situations of  residents following Gabrielle and as stories arose it was something I pondered while passing through the clouds of repair.

Talking to the church helpers and others who passed through , enabled me to build a picture of a diverse range of  life situations that were frozen in time while those affected took stock and proceeded to unpack and repack their upended lives.

It really was fascinating hearing the tales of  so many who were confronting problems with councils, insurance , banks, lost records, lost memories at the same time as having to deal with the stress of the disaster.

There were longtime residents, new arrivals, renters, old young, retirees, tradies, corporates, absent landowners and the list goes on.

The question was how can you solve every ones problems stemming from one destructive event.

Immediately  following the flood  there was a combined effort. Every one was in the same state of shock and banded together as one. It was a time of discovery and strength as we fought back from the abyss.

Ahead lay the mess and the way back to reality through masses of challenges and brick walls.

Yes every one had different circumstances but all circumstances were a challenge in our lives that we didn't need. 

      

Amalgamation Misinformation

If you were the Chairman of a Council then it would be fair enough to believe that you would understand the reason for the Councils existence , its role therefore and may be a basic understanding of the legislation guiding the Council.

I found it extraordinary that a Regional Council Chair , in arguing for amalgamation doesn't understand why her Council exists.

May be there is an excuse because Regional Councils have been in existence since the 1989 Local Government reforms so time has passed.

Regional Councils were formed for a reason and in her argument she touches on a number of the issues that were relevant and critical in the formation but fails to see how diluting or diminishing these roles will impact ratepayers.

There is a statement that planning is done by various overlapping council entities.

How does this happen? Councils have different roles so there should not be an overlap. Is she confusing this with Councils staff who don't get their role or interfere without realising.

There is a reason consenting takes place through different councils. Strangely enough it is to do with their roles.

She states that each council spends money finding ways to interpret the Building Act which is a strange one but yes District Councils have to consult the Building Act which is obvious but the RC may have to do so as well because of a marine structure .That is not duplication. That is to do with different roles.

She advocates for the Port being owned by all ratepayers. It is. Through the Regional Council .This was because at the time of setting up the new LG structure Regional  Councils were given the Ports on purpose.

She advocates for keeping the Port as an asset for the region .It already is.

She correctly identifies pests and flood protection and huge catchments as critical to the region and that they need retain catchments in one council. They already are. That is why they were a critical aspect in setting up Regional Councils.  

The Chairman argues that her council can work for the whole region (that's what it is there for) and create efficiencies  in the areas it has control.

Blows away the argument for amalgamation somewhat. 

The whole idea that amalgamation will make things easier for consent applications and planning is pie in the sky.

Understanding what Councils roles are is fundamental to understanding why NZ has the current structure.

The future is looking bleak for ratepayers.

    

 Entities and Machinations

The Government is making changes to the Local Government Act that will deal with the undemocratic situation that currently sees unelected table dwellers able to vote.

It' a good move but overdue and only seems to be on the agenda because of considerable pressure from various quarters.

The Taxpayers Union has been exposing issues in the Local Government area and are hoping the Auckland Council structure will be amended at the same time.

Over the years Local Government has grown in to an entity , a creature , that acts in a bubble , pretending to  carry out activities in the interests of suffering ratepayers that have their wallets and purses pillaged every week to fund ever increasing demands for dubious projects and activities.

Following the 1989 reforms the new brand of Local Government bureaucrat entered bright eyed and bushy tailed and set about setting up new plans and direction. It worked well for some time

Once the new plans became embedded a new breed emerged from the universities. The RMA had been swallowed lock stock and barrel by environmental purists. Students that had no life experience, no dirty hands  , no institutional knowledge now sat at the pristine desks behind their computers and the 20030 Agenda.

They probably didn't even realise what path they were  on given the indoctrination encountered and the acceptance  of the new breed .These are the rules and this is how things are done.

So the machinations taking place within Local Government are flowing from the years of groundwork to implement  an agenda no one can see and yet it affects every one of us every day.

The efforts of the Taxpayers Union and others are really a symptom of a fight back occurring in response to the implementation of an agenda that does not fit democracy and should be expunged from our lives.

The move to force amalgamations or tackle the makeup of local authorities will not deal with the root cause of our problems.

Changing  legislation  to remove the aims of 2030 will be the best way forward.      

     .  

 Further on Amalgamations

 In 1989 the Local Government reforms foist on the country by the Labour Government , were spun on the issue of efficiency. It was not a case of councils not doing the job and I would suggest the large counties at the time were already functioning effectively and efficiently. 

25 years ago the push to amalgamate councils in Hawkes Bay was pushed on the idea of efficiency and economies of scale.

 The result was a shakeup that saw better sharing of resources but no change to the makeup as ratepayers could see the setup was working well for the people.

Once again the push to amalgamate is being led by Central Government who always think they can force things to be better .They listen to the parties that do not understand local government .Usually business people who try and apply business solutions to a governance situation.

One of the main proponents of amalgamation in this round mounted his high horse because councils were not beating to his drum. 

I get the problem but bigger is not better and there is a failure to recognise the source of the high rates being handed out across the country.

There has been a creep in legislation and a creep in numbers to deal with it.

More and more legislation has given rise to more and more staff and the strength of the unions has seen wages grow until they are at least 10% more than in the private sector.

We have a whole new bureaucracy that is distant from reality when it comes to practical aspects of life in the country .They have been fed a diet of RMA hysteria and Local Government power of general competence which has expanded the nice haves and hindered the should haves.

The last round of change has been a haven for busy bodies and lefties that see council as a way to etch out a decent wage and create a job for life. Councils are full of impractical people , special interest people and even many who don't pay rates.

It's the perfect match  for misfits and controllers.

Pre 1989 we had Pest Destruction Boards, Catchment Boards, Harbour Boards,  Drainage Boards and Electricity Supply Boards. It's interesting reflecting on what is happening in those areas now.

So Governance has changed but rates have continued to go up, legislation has become a minefield and now we have some clever monkeys that think they will make things better by emulating Auckland super city.

Well good luck with that. 

 

  

Representation 

Here we go again.

Reading a host of comments relating to the amalgamation game one can't help but notice the new round of Council inhabitants has no idea about history, no idea about roles of local authorities and no idea about local government legislation.

Even staff now are a new round of bureaucrats that  have largely not experienced the upheaval  caused by forced change.

I read a comment 'should have happened 25 years ago ' from someone I recognised and reflected on the battle that ensued at the time and the massive amount of money spent on consultants and experts and meetings that finally gave ratepayers no change.

All that effort is lost as no one wants to learn from history  and the know it all faction that think bigger is better and that local government will be saved by major change are going to win out. They will win out because the thinking people have left the room and everyone left is exhausted.

Rates increases are crushing all and sundry and the solution appears to be less councils.

One glaring example of why amalgamation will be wrong waa a suggestion that a new makeup would see Napier with 4 Councillors, Hastings with 4 Councillors and the rural area with 2.

It sounds so easy but the huge rural area with two representatives would be crushed by the urban sector.

There is absolutely no way this should be allowed .It shows the complete lack of understanding of  why Regional Councils were formed around catchments and their role centred around issues affecting a whole region. Across boundaries.

The existing system in Hawkes Bay has been working well and changes over the years have given us a setup that works.

I would bet that there are no Councillors sitting around the City or District Council tables that have any idea of the roles they are supposed to undertake or the role of the Regional Council .

Hawkes Bay is in for a major deterioration in the effectiveness of Local Government and a major headwind for those in the rural areas.

And I will add,  a big increase in rates if amalgamation occurs. 

  

 

  

Local Body Re-organisation

It is interesting reading the many columns and comments spraying about in the media over the politicians forced action on re organising Local Government.

The ' Battle of Hastings 1977'

The Mayor of Hastings JJ O'Connor , said in the war over Local Government proposals ."This was a death blow to Hastings hopes for a strong independent ,democratic, regional planning authority and two district councils on the plains"

"The United Council outraged his 'every instinct' for democracy .He did not object to rationilisation but to taxation without representation.

New Zealand has been constantly under attack over the makeup of Local Government .the arguments are nearly always the same and last for years while competing sides jostle for dominance.

The 1989 reforms were possibly a good move as the country developed but it was driven by a Labour Government that may not have had the rural sector front of mind in trying to reshape Districts and Regions.

Hawkes Bay was thrust in to the reorganising argument again 20 years ago when more  of the bigger is better proponents embarked on yet another attempt to scupper the power of the people.

With  the latest attack another bevy of the better people has emerged from the Beehive and rolled out the same arguments only this time they have some traction because public servants have become a law unto themselves and ratepayers have a bad taste in their mouth over continued rate rises and less recognition of economic realities.

It is interesting that the Ministers involved were only just out of nappies when the Hawkes Bay region  was embroiled in patriotic impasses and Chamber of Commerce conniptions  regurgitating motions of earlier Mayors and Councils over the best way to cut a pizza.

The latest attack on Local Government has come from politicians who lack an understanding of Local Government and how it works.

The worst part of the attack is that it has been precipitated in response to a situation of politicians own making.

The Resource Management Act started out as a new way, a permissive approach to manage our resources. 

Fiddling over the years and failing to address handbrake clauses , has created a situation where staff  that have come through the system with the latest environmental indoctrination , have then managed to create a monster.

There are major problems but the answer is not to crush the responsible body , but to remove the irritation from within. 

The issues that need to be dealt with are not going to go away but the approach can be altered or carefully steered in the right direction.

It is possible that the noises being made about new authorities show that misunderstanding the makeup of the  beast may lead to a devil of a creature arising in the night.        

        

    

 

 New Valuations

Prior to Gabrielle property valuations were increasing as fast as a nascar and people were overcome with excitement as dreams dominated.

The way to becoming rich and too bad if you missed out on the ladder millions here we come.

Post Gabrielle as furrowed brows perused the rates bill , the valuation didn't look so good.

Properties swamped. Properties demolished . Land smothered in sucking silt and the valuations stayed the same.

It was good and it was bad.

Let's play a game. How much is a property worth? Do the valuers know? They did on the way up but what about on the way down?

Council told the drowned populace they couldn't change the valuations so the rates had to stay the same.

With valuations being carried out every three years residents were caught between showers.

At least one council made a quick decision and allowed affected ratepayers two years rate free. The main   culprit however dug their heels in to the mud and would not budge. The council who bore the greatest responsibility for the community crushing event said look over there. We didn't see a thing and cough or else.

Come 2026 and the new valuations for the district arrive in the mail (remember letters, mail, postman) and with great trepidation envelopes are opened all over Hastings in anticipation of what??

Holy, moly.

Becoming rich really is a dream now. It appears valuations have taken a tumble and the implications will be significant for a host of ratepayers.

My own valuation is questionable given the restoration back to almost the same as before the flood. 

It's going to take a while to evaluate this one.     

     

Misunderstood Local Government

Applause from the expensive seats is reverberating around social media. Yeah. Do away with Regional Councils. Yeah, get rid of all Councils. Let's stop paying so many councillors fat salaries for doing nothing.

Maybe it's my nature but as an elected councillor  and a thinker I wanted to learn about the role and functions of a council and I took my role as a representative of my constituents seriously.

I was given a copy of the Local Government Act and the Resource Management Act from the start and must say it was a shock to the system. What do I do now?

On reflection it was a great move by the CE.I doubt many elected members these days even look at the legislation that dictates what they do.

Also being involved with many hearings involving aspects of the regions resources soon explained the value of a grasp of the law. Local Government is a creature of legislation.

So it was good to see one respected commentator write a column that in effect agreed with my assessment of the amalgamation question and also identify the root cause of the excessive rates problem.

Those who think Councils should disappear are shallow thinking, superficial, probably dominant types who lack depth in life.

Don't get me wrong about rates. I hate rates. Trouble is society has to operate and we need someone to collect the rubbish and fix potholes.

What has happened over a number of years is nothing to do with the number of councils or councillors it is more to do with the legislation and the expansion of local government into areas it should have nothing to do with. It is mainly the Territorial Authorities that have made use of the law to go on spending sprees and throw ratepayers money around like there is no tomorrow. It is mainly the TA's that have become the go to for all and sundry for funding of a plethora of projects.

Another massive impost has been (Central Government imposed and endorsed) climate departments that should never exist but model on forever and think they can change the temperature in Timbuktu. 

LG has grown into a monster and Central Government have been responsible for this happening.

I will tackle the role of Regional Councils separately because of their importance.

Changing the LG legislation to better prescribe the role of councils would be far better than creating a bigger monster that will eventuate from the proposed, forced shakeup.

 

   

  

  

Rates, Reaction, Reform.

There is a resounding 'yes' in reaction to the Governments aggressive response to 'fixing ' local government.

I mean who doesn't want rates reduced? Who doesn't want to see red tape scissored and Councillors snuffed out?

Councils sit around doing nothing and charge the earth for doing it. All they do is have meetings and mealbreaks. Just an absolute waste of time. There was even one suggestion on X that Councils should be done away with completely.

Since the forced reforms of 1989 there has been a slow takeover of councils up and down the country. The days of the Council being a place where well to do businessmen sat around and pondered where to best spend the next ratepayers dollar have been exchanged for a mish mash makeup of all and sundry.

A great place to find a seat for outspoken shallow thinking residents who   have been looking for a niche to slot in to. A place to earn a dollar where other options are too hard.

There used to be those arguing for councillors to be only elected by ratepayers. Could that be right? 

Goodness knows how many elected Councillors are sitting around polished tables now and have never paid rates in their life.I know I know they probably pay via rent. But is that the same?

Not only has there been a takeover of the decision makers but also the insidious creep has slipped through every nook and cranny in Council buildings that have grown with the creep and exploded with a bloated bureaucracy that has an answer for every ratepayer   moan and groan.

Exorbitant union forced salaries have secretly lifted the public servant from approachable , helpful ,suit attired  nine to fiver , to a highly qualified know all , that looks down his nose at ratepayers and scoffs at the idea that they may question a professional.

The staff are no longer servants .They live in another world where the local Government Act and the Resource Management Act reign  supreme.

So what has happened? 

Politicians love to pass legislation in the local government lane and down the track point the finger at the expanding power  and excess red tape that results.

Politicians don't understand local government yet many chase a Council seat on being turfed from there Wellington job.

For years the Hawkes Bay region was attacked by parties that wanted to amalgamate councils and make things more efficient .Get rid of CEO's and save money.

The attempts were thwarted .

Now we face another confrontation .Central Government has some bullies that think they know best and they will force ratepayers in to submission whether they like it or not.

Compulsion is undemocratic.