Category: Politics
There is growing concern that local government is becoming more ‘activist’. Unfortunately ratepayers are not at the heart of their motivations. Before looking at examples, let’s examine how the new Labour-led Government is dealing with some of the constraints being faced by local authorities.
There are just over 20 days left to send the Government a message that you are not prepared to accept the economic consequences of their Zero Carbon Bill, which comes at a very high economic cost to all New Zealanders, reducing jobs, growth and living standards.
Far too many people driving on our roads are impaired. They are putting their lives and the lives of others in danger. The new Government needs to get real on this and put aside their political bias and give the green light to the random roadside drug testing of drivers.
Road deaths involving a driver with drugs in their system are increasing and it is well past time that New Zealand gave Police the ability to check for drugs through a saliva test. As illegal drugs and legal medications become ever-more part of people’s lives, crashes involving drugged drivers are increasing.
The use of alarmism to justify the introduction of damaging new laws and regulations is a political strategy that sadly, is much more commonly used in New Zealand today than most people realise. The methamphetamine decontamination scandal is a classic case, where over-the-top scare tactics have been used to justify heavy-handed and overly restrictive regulation.
The big methamphetamine clean-up scam that was spectacularly busted last week is a story of a government’s failure to use evidence to create policy. It is also a story of politics. The bust came from the PM's chief science adviser, Sir Peter Gluckman, who reported that there's never been a documented case of someone getting sick from third-hand exposure to meth.
After months of procedural work, developments relating to the Marine and Coastal Area Act claims process are coming thick and fast. They include a new Bill in front of Parliament, a series of High Court case management conferences, the notification of priority claims for Crown Engagement, and a Waitangi Tribunal inquiry.
A very surprising Bill had its first reading in Parliament on 10 May. The Bill is surprising in that it was originally brought forward under the 2004 Foreshore and Seabed Act, which was abolished by the 2011 Marine & Coastal Area (MACA) Act of 2011.
Last week the final referendum results for the five councils that had decided to introduce Maori wards against the wishes of their local electors were released. In each case, the public voted against their decision. The message from the results is that most New Zealanders do not want local government defined by race.
Over recent years the people of New Zealand have repeatedly spoken through binding polls held under the auspices of the Local Electoral Act concerning establishment of separate Maori representation in their local governments. As of May 19, five binding polls decisively vetoed Maori wards that elected representatives on their local councils tried to foist upon them.
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