The Government will change the law to ensure only elected councillors can vote on council committees, which will stop councils appointing iwi representatives as full voting members.
By Lillian Hanly of RNZ
Local Government Minister Simon Watts said councillors are directly accountable to voters for their decisions and having un-elected people on committees undermines decision-making and dilutes the influence of elected councillors.
Watts made the announcement in a press release on Tuesday, saying the Government would amend the Local Government Act 2002 so only elected members hold voting rights at council committee meetings.
He said it would be a move that "strengthens democratic accountability".
"Councils and the public nation-wide have raised concerns about individuals holding voting rights on council committees, undermining decision-making and diluting the influence of democratically elected members."
He referenced examples in the Far North, Tauranga and Hastings, where iwi representatives and people under the age of 18 had been appointed to council committees and given voting rights without being elected.
"That's not democratic, so we're fixing it."
Far North councillors voted on April to expand a Māori liaison committee which had been at the centre of a nationwide social media firestorm.
The controversy centred on the council's Te Kuaka Māori Strategic Relationships Committee, which includes six councillors and – now – two representatives of the Northland iwi chairs forum, known as Te Kahu o Taonui, and eight hapū representatives.
"While it is useful and appropriate that councils are able to make appointments that bolster the skills, attributes and knowledge of elected members, those individuals are not elected by ratepayers and therefore have no democratic accountability," Watts said.
The ACT Party celebrated the move, calling it a "massive win for ratepayers and local democracy", after having raised the issue with the Minister late last year.
"ACT has been pushing hard to close this anti-democratic loophole," said ACT Local Government spokesperson Cameron Luxton.
Councils will still be able to appoint non-elected members to offer advice and represent communities but "those appointments will not come with voting rights or count towards a quorum", explained Watts and committee members appointed under Acts that are not covered by the Local Government Act 2002 would retain voting rights.
Statutory committees and appointments – including any agreed as part of a Treaty settlement – would also be excluded.
The Local Government (System Improvements) Bill is currently before Parliament and these changes would now be included in that legislation. Councils will have six months to review their delegations once the law is passed, before the law changes takes effect.
Watts has been approached for further comment.
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