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Controversy surrounding voting by unelected officials on the recent Auckland rates increase has drawn the attention of a certain former Hunua MP.
New Zealand First, led by Winston Peters (Ngāti Wai), asserts that Auckland Council’s Independent Māori Statutory Board (IMSB) should be disestablished.
As reported previously, Local Government Minister Simon Watts put the kibosh on unelected members voting in council decisions but, much to the chagrin of the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance, the IMSB was exempt.
NZ First is now seeking to change this.
A member’s bill has been written and introduced – it will form part of the party’s election platform.
As expected, the move has drawn support from the Alliance’s Josh Van Veen.
“The IMSB is unelected and unaccountable to anyone, yet it wields considerable power. We have previously called for the government to strip the IMSB of voting rights on council committees. But the time has come to get rid of the IMSB altogether,” he says.
“Auckland Council should be governed by representatives who are elected by, and
accountable to, Aucklanders. There is no place in local government for a body with special statutory privileges that ratepayers have no ability to vote for or remove.”
The IMSB was established as part of the Super City amalgamation. It is tasked
with assisting council with decisions – primarily related to cultural, economic, environmental and social issues– for Māori while ensuring council acts in accordance with the Treaty of Waitangi. However, its influence outweighs its core function, Van Veen contends.
“The IMSB was established as a temporary political compromise during the formation of the Auckland Super City. More than 15 years later and it has become an entrenched layer
of bureaucracy that undermines democratic accountability,” he adds.
“Local democracy works best when governors are directly answerable to the public. Abolishing the IMSB would be a step toward restoring that principle.”
A statement from NZ First also appears to contending that the board has now outstayed its welcome.
“Aucklanders were never asked whether they agreed to fund or empower a parallel governance system within their council.
“Ratepayers now pay millions of dollars annually to support IMSB operations, including $3.5 million last year alone, despite having no ability to elect or remove members”
This has contributed to a growing democratic deficit at a time when Aucklanders face rising rates, increasing debt and reductions in core services, the statement reads.
“The removal of the IMSB will ensure that those who influence public spending and public decision making are directly accountable to the Auckland public.
“It does not prevent Auckland Council from engaging with Māori or recognising their interests, rather it ensures that such engagement is occurring within democratically accountable structures.”
