Mike's Minute: Keep local politics simple and democratic

Local body politics is having a bit of a week in the sun.  They have formed a group, as we told you Tuesday, to look at ways of pumping up voter turnout and the possibility of a four-year term.  The Government's change of rules around Māori wards has also seen the local authorities front up and have their say at a select committee.  On that specifically they are bogged down, and they don’t even seem to know it, by something that never had to be as problematic as it has turned out to be.  The old rule was if councils decided to introduce Māori seats or wards, the locals who hadn't been consulted got to run a vote if they got 5% of the ratepayers backing one.  When they did hold the vote, it was a landslide win telling the councils Māori wards weren't wanted.  Labour changed that rule without consultation. You weren't allowed to vote anymore. Councils could do whatever they wanted with no checks and balances.  This Government wants to flip the law.  Mistake number one as argued this week, is that it's central Government overreach. They forget they are the same councils who cry poor to Government's over everything from infrastructure to storm damage to GST collection. You can't have it both ways with central for the money and local for the power.  The second mistake is that the answer has been in front of them all along. It's called democracy.  Before they started gerrymandering the system anyone could stand, and still can. If they got enough votes they were elected.  Because not many Māori stood some bright spark argued race-based policy was an answer. Stack the rules, Māori get a different deal and it's been downhill ever since.  When the rule is that anyone can stand, there are no barriers and you have no problems. The freedom to stand, the freedom to debate and the freedom to contest the vote is a good, clean, clear system and, most importantly, a level playing field. It's fair.  When you mess with it you strike trouble and here, we are years later trying to untie the mess that race-based bias creates.  Keep it simple. Listen to the people. Value democracy.  You might find more people actually turn up to vote. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.