ELLIOT IKILEI: It is worse than you think: Far North Council has been taken over
- Administrator
- 7 days 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
Elliot if you truely believe that decisions about your community should be made by people you can vote for and hold accountable, you should be complaining against not just iwi groups but all community boards.
Community boards work with ward councillors to represent the interests of the people in each of our towns and villages. A board’s role is mainly advocacy but it also has powers to make some decisions about issues within its boundaries. Boards make submissions to Council and other statutory agencies. They control local funds for making grants to individuals and groups for community purposes. They are not elected individuals.
WANT TO END:
Co-Governance
Maorification
Net Zero scam
wasting money on Solar & windmills
AND
Make NZ self sufficient in energy & food production ……
VOTE NZ FIRST
Simple really!
Hone.
The legacy of Jacinda Ardern haunts New Zealand. This takeover is part of the WEF Agenda 2040 He Puapua. Just because she is no longer PM, and the WEF’s mole in the NZ government does not reduce the impact of this movement.
Once given a shot at power with a globalist/socialist authority, the Government's opposition, public perception and desire not to appear to be racist, this Agenda is going to be difficult to block.
The problem with racism is that it leads to white people thinking white people are at fault, which is racist. Not the 'reverse' racism which is the opposite but inverted racism, a sort of self-flagellation that those wielding the whips want to turn on everyone else,…
It’s the following statement by Duncan Garner that confuses me
“Davina discusses the lack of transparency in how these decisions are shaped before they even reach the full council table…”
It appears unelected people contribute and vote on sub committee decisions which has been happening forever, however these recommendations still need to be ratified by council members. Nowhere does Davina make clear if unelected members vote at the council table where legislation is passed.
Elliot further muddies the waters by proclaiming “….the people driving key decisions are, in many cases, not elected by the public,” In other words while committees drive key decisions, they don’t actually have the power to make the decisions, that is left to the full council.
When the socialism enemy is through the gates, absorbing and destroying the very fabric of whats left of your community, the sneering whimpy kids that sat on their arses with those disdainful snide looks on their faces; will cry out 'Why didn't you do something about it'
I happen to have a lot of time for Maori, but;
Maori are borne and bred socialists. They fit into a (free?) western type culture purely and simply because they can see their distinct racial advantages of being able to have their cake and eat it too
Mind, we have many a politician practicing/trading in the same duality of culture as they cluster around the pickle jar (Hive) in Welly
How the hell…