The Government is changing local government laws to ensure only elected councillors can vote on council committee decisions, saying the move will ‘strengthen democratic accountability’.
Local Government Minister Simon Watts announced that amendments to the Local Government Act 2002 will remove voting rights from unelected members appointed to council committees.
“Councillors are directly accountable to voters for their decisions,” Watts said. “We are amending the Local Government Act 2002 so only elected members hold voting rights at council committee meetings.”
The Government says concerns have been raised by councils and members of the public about unelected individuals being granted voting powers on committees, arguing it undermines the role of elected representatives.
Watts pointed to examples in the Far North, Tauranga and Hastings where appointees, including iwi representatives and people under the age of 18, had been given voting rights despite not being elected by local communities.
“That’s not democratic, so we’re fixing it,” he said.
Under the proposed changes, councils will still be able to appoint non-elected members to committees to provide expertise, advice and community representation. However, those members will no longer be able to vote on committee decisions or be counted toward a quorum.
“While it is useful and appropriate that councils are able to make appointments that bolster the skills, attributes and knowledge of elected members, those individuals are not elected by ratepayers and therefore have no democratic accountability,” Watts said.
The Government said statutory committees and appointments established through Treaty settlement arrangements will be exempt from the changes. Committee members appointed under legislation outside the Local Government Act 2002 will also retain their voting rights.
The reforms are included in the Local Government (System Improvements) Bill currently before Parliament. If passed, councils will have six months to review their committee structures, delegations and appointments before the new rules come into force.
About time!
It’s (s)election year, that lying liar lie competition time.
This is very bad for communism we the people need to be controlled and given handouts, this democratic behavior is crazy.
Those who were non-elected were probably NGO Operators and members of the Lodge…!
AND, it would be interesting to see how many non-elected who have been illegally voting are Zionists..!
A dude from the waspnest teaching about democracy…u can’i make up that shit.
But encouraging to hear that public servants “are directly accountable to voters for their decisions”.
Only because the Free Speech Union got stuck into them about it and crafted a petition. Only elected members should ever have been allowed to vote but then council, like central government, is unaccountable and out of control, in this country. At least in Australia there are checks and balances.
Not anymore…
https://www.youtube.com/@JamesGlissanOfficial
Oz is run by incompetent Wizards!
Could be too little too late. Whangarei and Auckland have already voted on matters that were only put through due to the unelected.
Hopefully the government removes all racist policies. No special privileges for any race.
No special privileges regardless of gender.
Are you out of your mind? (jovial Q)
The govts live of the division!
Wow. It must be election year. However, it still could have been dealt with months ago by an energetic government.
How did it ever get this far?
Rotorua Lakes Council is just as bad. We have that nasty racist Merepeka Tait calling people “pakehas” and that we have “white fright”. I grew up here, have lived here for over 40 years, worked with, went to school with, dated Maori (not that I actually ever thought of them as any different to myself) but I am DONE. This white fright will lead to white flight and then what are we left with? A Maori town with Indian hospitality workers and brand new ticky tacky cheap and nasty social houses full of unemployable locals, generational beneficiaries, criminals and low life ring ins from out of town. So much for tourism huh? Also who is funding Te Arawas big flash new hotel? Are WE THE TAXPAYERS going to fund that too? Like the $58 million for their big flash spa that locals can’t afford? Have they paid back that loan yet????? Have to sell a HELL a of a lot of swims to pay that back. CORRUPT AS HELL.
Our council is full of people with personal conflicts of interest, wokesters and radical leftists. The government needs to step in, audit the hell out of these councils, and make all the career grifters reapply for their jobs. The same formula should be rolled out nationwide.
TOTALLY AGREE. NEVER FORGET, NEVER GIVE UP!
Its the same in Tauranga . ohh sorry for the miss pronunciation its TOE DUNGA.
And that sums it up .