It was an interesting weekend down in Wellington where local body elections are in full swing. Three serious candidates for mayor (one currently the incumbent). Sound familiar?
In Wellington the local news describes them all as neck to neck all nodding at each other’s comments during the group presentations. As though they are all on the same wavelength with the current mayor broadcasting his huge achievements (naturally), a local MP who swore he would never stand for mayor (a clear porky statement) and a new female entrant – with a strong Greens background – aiming to remove intra-council bickering using her experience (?) in coalition negotiations with NZ First and Labour. And there is a clear split among the three as to support or otherwise for Three Waters.
So, our three local worthies battled it out last week at Lauriston Park at a forum that I had the honour to chair.
Meet the candidates meeting at Lauriston
The meat of the debate has already been well covered by this paper’s Mary Anne Gill. But for me the twice declared role as an ‘evangelist’ by Chris Woodhams smacked too close to the Far Right and a self-appointed Bishop in Auckland.
By the time you read this there will only be 48 hours to the voting deadline. So, no hope of the would-be council sages persuading you of their worth. But it is still time to take the voting strength up past the 40 per cent – a target in itself which is pitiful. Whatever you think of applicants who make promises that they cannot keep they have put in long hours and money to put their pitch. The very least they deserve is a responsive and interested voter reaction to ensure everyone gets the (local) government they deserve.
Evangelical bravado, bumbling councillor apologies and a new Māori ward are all in the mix this time.
Back in Wellington the accent is heavy on the four Ps – parks, pools, pipes and potholes. But also important is the Waipa council’s recently announced ‘gift’ of a large tract of land to the nearby expanding city.
But no mention of a quid-pro-quo as there will be a marked reduction in Waipa DC revenues. So just how much were you all consulted prior to the agreement?
