Council voting to be restricted to elected members

Only elected councillors will be able to vote on council committees, in a move that strengthens democratic accountability, Local Government Minister Simon Watts has announced today, June 2.

“Councillors are directly accountable to voters for their decisions,” he says.

“We are amending the Local Government Act 2002 so only elected members hold voting rights at council committee meetings.

“Councils and the public nationwide have raised concerns about individuals holding voting rights on council committees, undermining decision-making and diluting the influence of democratically elected members.

“We’ve seen examples in the Far North, in Tauranga and in Hastings where individuals, such as iwi representatives and young people aged under 18, have been appointed to council committees and given voting rights without being elected by the community.

“That’s not democratic, so we’re fixing it. While it is useful and appropriate that councils are able to make appointments that bolster the skills, attributes and knowledge of elected members, those individuals are not elected by ratepayers and therefore have no democratic accountability.

“Councils can still appoint non-elected members to offer professional advice and represent communities, but those appointments will not come with voting rights or count towards a quorum.”

Statutory committees and appointments, including those agreed as part of a Treaty settlement, will be excluded and committee members appointed under Acts that are not covered by the Local Government Act 2002 will retain voting rights, Watts says.

The changes will be included in the Local Government (System Improvements) Bill currently before Parliament.

Once passed, councils will have six months to review their delegations and appointments before the law change takes effect.