Status quo no option - Northern Advocate - 25th March 2010 (Pat Slater)

Interesting, the letters of Brian Craig and Stan Semenoff in regards to the meeting about local government options. I was there, Mr Craig was there, but by his own admittance Mr Semenoff was not, he apparently received feedback though. Some members of the NRC were at the meeting, who made some very brief comments or asked a question or two, but did not dominate proceedings at all. The public though had much to say, things that could’ve been said prior to this meeting if anyone had bothered to ask them if they wanted to even consider changing the status quo! And it would have been better if one of the high ranking staff of WDC who was in the audience at the Kaipara District meeting the next night, actually attempting to take control at one point, completely out of order, had of attended the one in his own district.

Mr Semenoff’s reply to Mr Craig states ‘The public will choose and this is government of the people, by the people, for the people and his absence from the meeting was to see that the report and the public process are completely free of political influence from district council.’ So, what has changed since the photo shoot at Twin Bridges? Robin Downey of Dargaville News wrote, At the Twin Bridges meeting, Mr Semenoff said that the two mayors ‘have a mandate to do the best for our districts’. Does that mean they think their decisions can already be made? A contradiction!

The McKinley report, implementation process section states that after it (Local Body Commission) has considered all submissions ……..if it decides to proceed, a poll of electors must be held in each district or region …….for the scheme to come into effect, it must receive more than 50 percent of the votes cast in each poll.

Oh and by the way the status quo is not seen as an option, even if it needed to be made to work better!

Pat Slater

Maunu