ELLIOT IKILEI: It is worse than you think: Far North Council has been taken over
- Administrator
- 4 hours ago
- 3 min read
Things are going badly wrong in the Far North, and the Government is choosing to sit on its hands and let it happen. We have to take action now.
A sitting councillor, Davina Smolders has come forward in an interview with Duncan Garner on his podcast and described what is happening inside the Far North District Council. This is no petty disagreement over policy. It is a fundamental shift in who is exercising power and the complete overriding of democracy.
We are calling for Minister for Local Government Simon Watts to step in and appoint a Crown Observer.
Why? Because Councillor Smolders says on key council committees, unelected iwi and hapū representatives now outnumber elected councillors. These are not advisory positions where they simply provide input. These are unelected people directly making decisions that flow through to full council; decisions that determine spending, priorities, and the rates that local families are forced to pay.
That means the people driving key decisions are, in many cases, not elected by the public, not accountable to voters, and not removable through any democratic process.
This is a direct challenge to the basic idea of representative government in New Zealand.
Councillor Smolders has done exactly what you would expect from someone taking their role seriously. She has raised concerns internally, attempted to work through the proper channels, and ultimately gone to central government asking for intervention.
She has called for a Crown Observer to be appointed so that there is independent oversight of what is happening and some restoration of accountability. Local residents have backed that call. Their concerns have been put clearly and directly to the Minister of Local Government, Simon Watts.
And nothing has happened.
Minister Watts has been made aware that a large number of unelected people have effectively taken over a council and he has done nothing. No intervention. No sense of urgency.
Is anyone else in the Government aware of this? It isn't a trivial issue. It is extremely serious and yet it isn't being treated with the seriousness it deserves.
Inaction is a decision. If the Government refuses to act when there are credible concerns about democratic accountability breaking down, then it is effectively endorsing what is happening.
We have reminded them countless times before, but I'll say it again, this Government was elected with a mandate to remove co-governance. They promised to remove it. That this is happening on their watch is unacceptable. Broken promises.
This should concern people well beyond the Far North, because it will not stay contained. If arrangements like this are allowed to continue without scrutiny or pushback, they will be replicated. They will become normalised as other groups realise they can get away with just walking in and taking over.
This is how power shifts in practice... through quiet changes that most people only notice once the balance has already tipped. When they look around and notice there are more unelected members in the room than elected ones.
We have launched a petition to force this issue into the open and demand action. We are calling on the Minister to appoint a Crown Observer to the Far North District Council immediately, to investigate what is happening and to ensure that democratic accountability is upheld.
This is not even an extreme demand. It is the minimum you would expect when serious concerns have been raised and the integrity of decision-making is in question.
If everything is above board, then there should be no resistance to independent oversight. If it is not, then the public deserves to know.
What is not acceptable is silence and inaction. Wake up, Minister Watts!
If you believe that decisions about your community should be made by people you can vote for, and hold accountable, then sign the petition. If you believe that the Government has a responsibility to step in when those basic principles are undermined, then now is the moment to say so.
Elliot Ikilei is a trustee at Hobson's Pledge
Despite ACT's press release, National's Watts ( backed by PM Luxon) is the minsiter responsible for Local Government) within the Coalition.
By not taking action on this matter Simon Watts MP must be complicit. The National Party MPs and the Prime Minister would have known what was happening and by not doing something about it, without being reminded of their responsibilities to the citizens, they must also be complicit in the removal of democratic procedures. This is socialist/Marxist thumb sucking adherence.
No petition is necessary because the ACT party is part of the government coalition.
An ACT press release last September:
This practice of Councils appointing unelected Maori to Council with full voting rights , is totally undemocratic , totally unacceptable and is untenable. It was facilitated by Government ducking the responsibility to legislate centrally to totally preclude this sort of practice happening , and passing the ‘Co-governance buck’ to Local Government Bodies / Councils.
Further , ‘appointees’ stay on irrespective of elections !
This is Maori takeover by stealth , in effect with Government’s endorsement .
Government MUST ACT CENTRALLY IMMEDIATELY to stomp on these practices and to legally preclude them from ever happening again.
Maori have exactly the same right / ability to stand for / put themselves forward for electable public office as any other citizen(s). Why sho…
I pinched this from Kiwiblog today;
imalwaysright
A man from the Tax Payers Union on the Platform posed the question whether National will campaign AGAIN on getting rid of co governance, maorification, and three waters?
Over two years on and we still have all three.
What will Luxons campaign slogan be: “We’ll do it this time! Pinky promise