Board needs to look beyond boundaries, hearing told

Concerns that Rodney Local Board elected members were only interested in their own subdivisions rather than the region as a whole were voiced at an Auckland Council hearing on September 6.

Members of the representation review Joint Governance Working Party raised the issue after reading submissions that opposed proposed boundary changes in Rodney because of fears that it would mean Warkworth having less of a voice (MM, Sep 2).

Kaipātiki Local Board chair John Gillan said he was surprised at the angst expressed that if Warkworth went from three to two elected members, it would lose representation.

“I find it astounding what was coming through in these submissions,” he said. “I’m really concerned that the public and community groups are feeling like they are pigeonholed with one or two or three local board members.”

Gillan said people needed to realise that that was not how subdivisions and local boards worked.

“Subdivisions are an electoral mechanism and the day after an election, they’re supposed to effectively disappear, so you’ve got nine local board members operating over the whole area,” he said.

Warkworth member Michelle Carmichael, who was presenting the board’s latest submission on proposed boundary changes to increase rural representation, said there had been a historic political imbalance in Rodney.

“In the past, we did have an alliance group that was very much weighted in the Kumeu and Warkworth subdivisions and, because of their balance of power that they had across the board, you either chose to join the alliance or you missed out on things,” she said.

She said that had left a lasting impression in Rodney, adding that the situation had recently been exacerbated by “very direct” social media posts by one member, Ivan Wagstaff, that said if Warkworth were to lose one elected member, facilities would be lost.

“I’ve seen the politics at play and it’s not pretty. It was why I’ve been very clear that we need to look at this on a Rodney-wide basis. It was not about our individual subdivisions and should never be,” she said.

“It should be about what’s good for all of Rodney and all the communities we have. It should not be about our own political views and what we think might be a good protection for our own political position going forward.”

Councillor Daniel Newman sought further reassurance from Carmichael.

“Can I just get an assurance from you that all members of the Rodney board are actively engaged in, and contributing to the stewardship of services and the governance of the whole Rodney Local Board?” he asked.

“Everyone is collectively responsible for everybody else. I want to walk away from this discussion comforted that the Rodney Local Board isn’t just a collection of individuals looking after their subdivisions, that you are looking after everybody in Rodney and that your constituents can take some comfort from that?”

Carmichael said the current board was the most collaborative and socially conscious board for a while and members did work collectively well.

“The problem is, it should never be about the personalities of who is on the board,” she said. “We need to protect democracy for whoever is elected, and if that means we put a different structure in place, then this is a way we can do that democratically, so it doesn’t matter who is elected.”

Council’s governing body will make its final decision on any changes later this month, which will then be publicly notified for any objections or appeals.