OPINION

You’d think that democratically elected mayors would respect democracy but it appears that they actually don’t. Fifty mayors have decided to write to the Government to tell them off for making sure that Maori wards on councils are utu to the people who are going to have to pay for them…you know, like what a democracy does.

More than 50 mayors and regional council chairpersons have penned a letter to the Government, criticising their bill that would require councils to hold referendums on Maori wards established without a local poll.

The letter, obtained exclusively by 1News Political Editor Maiki Sherman, argues the legislation is “an overreach on local decision-making” and “a distraction from the hard work” councils are doing.

Additionally, the mayors and regional council chairpersons say they are “disappointed” by the bill and suggest it “undermines the important contributions that Maori are making”.

1News

All the Government is doing is returning the issue to how it was before Labour started meddling on treaty issues. It was Labour that removed democracy when it came to Maori wards.

Under Labour’s law, the mayors and councillors had the sole decision-making power on whether to introduce race-based wards. Under the previous law, and now current law, the residents are given the final decision making authority. That is now as it should be.

Naturally the mayors are stroppy, mainly because they saw it as a way to embed statutory racism by creating race-based wards.

What these stupid mayors now risk is the Government exacting some utu on them with the reforms that are under way to unpick Labour’s disasters. I’m pretty sure they’ll live to regret this meddlesome approach against an elected government.

By all means they are free to promote their woke agenda, but the Government won’t be paying for it.

Local Government NZ may find themselves off side with the Government too.

Meanwhile, in the interests of informing the public who these clowns are ahead of local government elections next year, here is the letter with all the signatories. You know what to do…vote them out.

Letter_from_LGNZ_Mayors_and_Chairs_on_Maori_wards_and_constituencies_S4jE57hDownload

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As much at home writing editorials as being the subject of them, Cam has won awards, including the Canon Media Award for his work on the Len Brown/Bevan Chuang story. When he’s not creating the news,...