If you are in the Tauranga council area, you need to speak up – now!
For others around New Zealand, you just need to take note as this will soon be happening to you.
On Monday morning at 9.30am, the Tauranga City Council is meeting toapprove placing unelected iwi members onto three of their standing committees.
You have read that right - an elected council is wanting to select unelected, unaccountable people, to sit on three of its key committees simply because of their ethnicity – in this case, because they are affiliated to local iwi. They want these people to have full voting rights and to be fully remunerated!
We need you to write urgently to Mayor Drysdale and local councillors to tell them that is entirely wrong and inappropriate.
A modern democracy is about one person, one vote; and about direct accountabilityto the voter.
There is no place in New Zealand for race-based appointments, let alone unelected persons sitting on council committees. What’s the point of electing a council when it then goes ahead and stacks the deck with the unelected!?
The three committees are substantial and include the Audit and Risk Committee; City Futures Committee; and Community and Performance Committee. It’s three today, but how long before more are demanded?
And get this – Tauranga already has a specifically elected Maori Ward, called Te Awanui.
Reading the council agenda, you won’t believe what they say –
“A Māori ward councillor is not expected to speak on behalf of tangata whenua, they speak for themselves when working with elected members.”
Yep, you read that right. According to the council documentation the specifically created Māori ward does not speak for Māori. They now need even more undemocratic representation. We wish we were making this stuff up!
So, if you are in the Tauranga Council area, you need to email the Mayor and councillors now and tell them to stop this nonsense. We have included their emails for you below:
Mayor Mahé Drysdale
Email: [email protected]
Deputy Mayor Jen Scoular (Mauao/Mount Maunganui Ward)
Email: [email protected]
Rick Curach (Arataki Ward)
Email: [email protected]
Kevin (Herb) Schuler (Bethlehem Ward)
Email: [email protected]
Glen Crowther (Matua-Ōtūmoetai Ward)
Email: [email protected]
Steve Morris (Pāpāmoa Ward)
Email: [email protected]
Marten Rozeboom (Tauriko Ward)
Email: [email protected]
Rod Taylor (Te Papa Ward)
Email: [email protected]
Hautapu Baker (Welcome Bay Ward)
Email: [email protected]
*Mikaere Sydney, the councillor for the Te Awanui Ward, is currently on a leave of absence.
Please act today – you have till 9.30am this coming Monday (9 December) to have your voice heard before the Tauranga council hands even more power over to unelected people.