Discussion: Regarding Auckland
318 Responses
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Yep... that's how he got in the first time.... I've forgotten who the candidates were, but there were two nearly equal quality left-ish candidates, who nicely split the left vote so that Banksy got in. Then, he pissed everybody off, and Hubbard won on the "anyone but banksy" vote...
Wasn't it Christine Fletcher and Matt McCarten?
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re Fletcher and McCarten - Sorry Mark - should have read right through before I leapt in.
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What I'd like to know ... is why all these list members of Parliament, who were elected at-large and support proportional representation in Parliament, are now speaking out against a proposal to bring that sort of election to Auckland...
[p.s. I just switched over to the Parliament channel]
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a proposal to bring that sort of election to Auckland
Um, FPP is not MMP.
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I'm glad others have picked up the point that Maori representation is about honouring the Treaty of Waitangi, not about "ethnicity".
Well, Pita Sharples did a poor job of making his case this morning on RNZ. He said something along the lines of:
"well, it puts us down with the Indians, Chinese and Samoans..."
I though that was pretty offensive.
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"well, it puts us down with the Indians, Chinese and Samoans..."
I though that was pretty offensive.
And from a former race conciliator, no less.
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Um, FPP is not MMP.
Quite right. A fact that I'm surprised eludes some members of Parliament.
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Why is Pita Sharples still the Minister for Maori Affairs? Or maybe, why did he take the job in the first place?
As I understand it, Ministers are responsible for their portfolios. All the "agree to disagree" stuff is about issues outside their portfolios. The Minister for Maori Affairs must speak for the government on Maori Affairs. (I think Dean Knight was essentially saying this on Checkpoint tonight, though I was distracted by domestic matters at the time, and only half-listening).
Winston Peters opposed the China FTA in Labour's third term, and his excuse was that his portfolio was Foreign Affairs, not Trade. It was scarcely credible, and mnay commentators said so. Some called for his resignation - not least our friends on the blogs. And they had a point. But the issue blew over, because the public disagreement was specific to that trade agreement, and so it died once the FTA was passed.
But Maori Affairs is harder to fence off. It's ongoing. So Pita Sharples is going to be a Minister for Maori Affairs who continues to criticise the government he is a member of, for their policies in Maori Affiars. And the Auckland seats conflict isn't going away - far from it.
Can anyone explain how he doesn't have to resign, especially if he backs up his rhetoric when he votes on the issue in Parliament?
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something along the lines of:
"well, it puts us down with the Indians, Chinese and Samoans..."Only Sharples did not actually say that.
Here he is on RNZ (1.4MB, 4mins) responding to the preceding interview with Rodney Hide (3MB, mins):
"He has lumped us with the Indians and the Chinese and everybody else. He does not recognise tangata whenua."
You may have been mis-hearing this later comment:
"...to have a Maori voice at the top table so that it can be heard by the other Councillors. It's got to be in the discussion at the top level..."
Unless you meant "down with" as in down wif the yoof .
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Doh. Hide audio - 8mins30.
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Interesting to describe Christine Fletcher as left-ish, given she is a former National MP.
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I don't think being a list MP logically means you support PR? Just because you were elected through a system doesn't mean you agree with it. (Although Irish republicans struggled with this for many years..)
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Can anyone explain how he doesn't have to resign, especially if he backs up his rhetoric when he votes on the issue in Parliament?
As a Minister of Maori Affairs, he has some duty to respond as such but that is deemed a National view but as Co Leader of Maori Party he can speak his disapproval which I think is rather clever (with or without his knowledge of this in the first place) It is definitely an issue in question time over the last few sittings. Graeme Edgeler would know more I is sure.Fer sure one for Knowledge Bro.
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He was speaking as Minister of Maori Affairs when he attacked the government's decision on the Auckland council seats. He said so.
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He was speaking as Minister of Maori Affairs when he attacked the government's decision on the Auckland council seats. He said so.
Plus also said that because of this, was able to have ongoing negotiations which should be revealed soon. Not that I think it will be good for Maori as Hone sees it with his comments in the news.This is becoming controversial in The House and the Speaker is doing a great job of trying to see a way through for Pita but I do think it needs to be determined one way or the other as it is very confusing.Imho.
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Awesome discussion. Just sayin'.
We made a good TV show too.
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. . . in The House and the Speaker is doing a great job of trying to see a way through for Pita . . .
Isn't he shaping up well. Must be those delicate hands, just made for locating the finest nuance in Standing Orders.
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Ooppss (wrong line on the spreadsheet)... that of course should have read:
And...
City Councils - People per councillor
Brisbane - 36,635
Gold Coast - 33,171
Old Auckland City - 21,525
Old North Shore City - 13,456
Wellington City - 12,560
Sydney - 16,880
Darwin - 5,487
Melbourne - 7,466
Hobart - 4,067
Adelaide - 1,700
Perth - 1,493
New Auckland Council - 70,560So the proposed Auckland Council has half the 'representation' of Brisbane City
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Mikaere: Adoring yr comment that we've done mono-rule to death. It's hard to disagree with that.
As a former (and I hope repeat) Maori list Green candidate, how would you say our communities (both local and nation-wide) would benefit from entrenched Maori representation?
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Roger: holy fuck.
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Regarding Auckland, and New Zealand. Could we have a bit of a tribute time for local MP and long time Prime Minister Helen Clark somewhere. She has been a political leader for most of my adult life and was elected in one of those great transition and new intake years for the left - the same year as the Springbok tour, and the battle of Molesworth St the same night as the Charles/Diana wedding. When the personal was indeed political, and activism was a mainstream activity.
I drove around Welllington delivering and collecting people yesterday while listening to her valedictory on the car radio and realised how much NZ identity stuff and basic difference-making she was involved with. And she mentioned the NZ Disability Strategy and Te Ara- yay.
Much of the media comment has been mean spirited or even minimal (she was human after all and most commentary has dwelt on perceived negative personal traits, and then a grudging nod to achievements). We will be lucky to have such political leadership once in our lifetime.
And I see leadership as making things easier for others to follow with a firm value base of social justice - the building of the ladder and making sure it has firm foundations - not those who climb on others and then pull the ladder up after them.
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Isn't he shaping up well.
Well, he certainly thinks so :)
Much of the media comment has been mean spirited or even minimal
Not just the media either.Last night National MP's chose to try one last dig (which I found deplorable) which made me turn off the channel.
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James...
Like I have said I find the continual parroting that our councils are small and fragmented, and argument that so clearly flies in the face of all the facts, really depressing. As I said yesterday Melbourne has 29 odd councils and a State government and they seem to do just fine.
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The thing is, when it comes to setting up new institutions these days - and do you want me to rant a little about the European Parliament? No? Didn't think so - democracy and representation are too often seen as the things that get in the way of good management. The mental blueprint is corporate governance, not broad and direct participation, or balancing the needs of disadvantaged consitituencies
Like Paul said: the time for consultation is over.
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Much of the media comment has been mean spirited or even minimal
Not just the media either.Last night National MP's chose to try one last dig (which I found deplorable) which made me turn off the channel.
Hey, it's still early days - she's not even 60. Let's not begrudge the pygmies their 15 minutes.
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