With the local body elections done and dusted the new councils now need to begin their work. Much has been said through the media about the swing to the right, not that there is a great deal of difference in most cases as the swing is generally only a couple of degrees either side of centre.
The biggest news, in my view, and most concerning aspect of the elections is the lack of engagement by the public in the process.
Many have said that future elections need to be conducted online as though that will be a panacea for the low turn-out. No doubt it will improve things as the mail system certainly didn’t do any favours to the process. For example, we took our votes on a 25 km journey to ensure they got to the right place, as with a 3 day a week collection there was going to be a high chance they would have missed the deadline.
So, with an overall turnout of 36% giving, let’s say, 20% of the electorate voting for the winning candidates it is a distinctly underwhelming mandate for anybody.
It is the system we have accepted and so we need to go with the result but something definitely need to change. I do wonder how many of those who were out on the streets over the last year protesting against one thing or another did not bother turning up to vote. Obviously, we will never now as when television interviewers have gone out onto the street asking for opinions about future expectations with the results, almost without fail everyone seems to have one and give the impression they have engaged with the process. We know the majority didn’t, especially Auckland with a sad 31% turnout.
What can be done to improve the situation is beyond me and I’m not aware of any country which has solved this problem and at a time when it should be easier that ever before.
Perhaps interestingly has been the observation that the rural turnout has had a greater fall than the urban. Larger cities urban-only dropped by -1.4% admittedly from a pretty low base while the rural turnout dropped by -7.5%. Even provincial centres fell by -6.5%. All this occurring when seemingly more people are up in arms about one thing or another.
The decreasing trend is occurring throughout the democratic world both in local and national elections and it can’t be because ‘we’ are getting more comfortable and satisfied with our lot, because the evidence is the reverse. If the trend continues into the national elections, which is likely, then Labour should have even more reason to be concerned about returning as the older and generally more affluent side of the electorate turn out at a greater rate and also generally vote more right of centre. Churchill (and others) has the quote “anyone who is Liberal (left) at 20 has no heart, while anyone who is still Liberal at 40 has no head”. Nothing is ever so black and white, but it does seem to ring true which made the last national election result all the more surprising.
For the rural sector the Regional Councils arguably have a greater impact than the ‘normal’ council elections. Having had a look through the Environment Canterbury results, the largest region and often the precursor of change through the country, especially when it involves water there has been a minor revolution.
By my assessment 50% of the incoming councillors are new and most of these have occurred in the urban wards of Christchurch. Of 8 Christchurch councillors 6 are new and judging by the limited information provided most are pro-water (if such a division could be applied and I apologise for using a crude definition). In contrast, the 3 rural wards have kept to a more business as usual make-up with only one of the 6 councillors being new.
Also, of note in the rural wards those candidates that were overtly pro-water generally failed to get in. Probably not a surprising result but one that may reinforce an urban rural divide. What this will do to the pace of change for Canterbury is yet to play out, however, it does appear that there is a shift to a more ‘pro-water’ body and certainly will not slow it down. So while the ‘normal’ vote appears to have gone a few degrees to the right, the environmental vote (Regional Councils) judging by Canterbury has not and has gone the other direction if we assume the pro-water side is more left of centre.
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The comic above implies that the low voter turnout is due to apathy, but I think the main reason is indifference. People have lost faith in the democratic process after years of inaction and empty promises, with civic engagement being especially poor at local government level.
"Well, if you don't vote, you've no right to complain!". And if you do vote? Are you justified in complaining about the person who you just helped vote in?
If none of the candidates represent what is important to me, then how does compelling me to vote make things right?
By choosing to stand apart from the process, I am still voting. Interestingly that is the reason they wish to force compulsory voting - does 40% turnout indicate a legitimate government?
With the combination of central government and non elected council employees seeming to have most of the control of local government, it is no wonder that we are having a bit of trouble with local body governance. The 3 Waters is a symptom of the problem. The good news is that the government employees in Wellington who were doing Kiwibuild and Covid isolation hotel operations now have a new career option with 3 Waters. The bad news is that these people will be running it. Perhaps they will transfer some people from the Transmission Gully project to hurry things up a bit.
I honestly cannot see how anybody can say that Wellington will run these things better than locals and keep a straight face.
My issue with the whole thing is that the Council I pay my rates to doesn't control the area I depend on for services. I live South of Pukekohe and pay my rates to Waikato Regional and Waikato District Councils. The services I use (Health, library, Schools, Police etc) are all in Auckland. We used to be called Franklin and that is the region most people identify with. Since the creation of the Super-City we now live in a no man's land. We are not important to Hamilton or Auckland. Transport policy stops at the border, no rail station for Tuakau. Auckland has banned us from their libraries (unless we pay) but are happy to take our water from the river.
Whinge over... I feel better now.
Local government democracy in NZ is broken for the same reason that local government infrastructure provision is broken. After a hundred and fifty years of attack from central government it has been rendered useless.
People have started using the term '3rd world' to describe aspects of NZ society to me in a way that would never happen when I was younger. Yet the centre is all too often divorced from these local realities.
Sure Wellington is always interested in hearing about the mistakes of local government which they will endevour to correct but they close their ears to advice about what can incentivise and improve the capacity of local government and local infrastructure and local services not to make future mistakes.
This is the deeper underlying reason for why location based politics is so negative and so often captured by a backlash of special interests in NZ. Yet central government refuses to listen to this sort of systemic analysis.
Bernard Hickey goes into the detail in this piece here.
https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/10-10-2022/the-great-boomer-backlash-…
Australia politically has a far more decentralised political system and it is not surprising that their cities and regions - like Brisbane/Queensland - are much more confident and upbeat when it comes to addressing local problems.
I think the following video about upgrades to Brisbane's metro system gives a practical demonstration of the strengths of Australia's decentralised political system compared to our Wellington dominated one.
I met councillors who were hoping to be re-elected. They were just standing in the street handing out leaflets. It gave me the chance to grumble at Richard Hills for several minutes. Then a few days later I voted for him. That is what I ask for from a local election: a chance to talk to the person making decisions about the public spaces in the place where I live. By the way Richard Hills had no chance of my vote until I met him; I wasn't persuaded by anything he said but by the way he listened.
Most of the Auckland grumbles are focused on the entities that have minimal democratic control. What can we do about the big CCOs: Auckland Transport, Watercare Services Limited, Panuku Development Auckland Limited, Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development and Regional Facilities Auckland.?
Given the opportunity I'd vote to close down the last two.
Maybe we need more direct democracy and less representative democracy.
Interesting analysis about Canterbury - but just curious as to what 'pro-water' means to the author? Does that mean pro-cleaner water (less nitrate pollution into rivers and aquifers), or pro-irrigation (i.e., more water takes, more irrigation infrastructure)?
Or something else?
The candidates are the problem. Last local elections we could choose Leanne (who we didn't like at all), and every other mayoral candidate was flat-out barmy. So we voted for Leanne. Hardly worth voting 'cos they all sucked. At least this time we had some choices.
It also seems that most of the people that choose to be candidates seem to be on the left side of the political spectrum. That's fine if you love cycleways and hugging trees. We'd just like the potholes fixed.
If you think all the candidates are mad, silly etc etc - stand yourself!!
If you aren't prepared to you have whats offered at all levels.
Democracy is messy, inefficient, frustrating but no ones found a better model - I think Winston Churchill had a quote along those lines.
Would you prefer to live under Mr Putin? I dont see a rush of people wanting to move to there or North Korea.
Given the perception that local government is controlled by un-elected staff, rather than elected representatives, and that we keep getting poor performance in finance, planning, infrastructure extension and all the rest, is it any wonder people can't get interested in voting?
Damned if we do, damned if we don't.
I once had a meeting with the local mayor, in which he said, I hope our planning Dept don't muck you up. He then tried to ring them, and they didn't answer the phone.
Perhaps lgnz can run training courses for councillors, to try and put them on an a equal footing with the staff running the show.
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