NZ: Pacifica Present Oral Submission Tonight at Barrycourt MotorLodge Parnell

Pacifica are scheduled to present an oral submission to the select committee at 7.30pm today. It is open to the public.
If you are available to go and support their submission, please do so.

Venue: Barrycourt Motor Lodge, Gladstone Rd, Parnell, Auckland, NZ

Submission on the Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill

Monday 8 February 2010

To the Auckland Governance Legislation Committee

AGL

This submission is from P.A.C.I.F.I.C.A Auckland Central, Timeout and Tamaki branches.

Contact details:

PACIFICA Vice President – Northern Region

Josephine Bartley

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We wish to appear before the committee to speak to our submission.

We wish that the following appear in support of this submission:

Representative Peta Mua (Chair – Tamaki),

Josephine Bartley (Northern Region Vice President) Christina Atoa Tapu

Anne Fitisemanu, Auckland Central branch.

Members of PACIFICA branches.

About us:

We are the Auckland based branches of twenty branches throughout New Zealand. PACIFICA is an incorporated society established in 1976 aimed at the empowerment of Pacific women to better participate in New Zealand society. This submission is from the Auckland region encompassing 100 members and families resident in Manukau City, Auckland City, North Shore City and Waitakere City.

Summary:

We want our Council to maintain the community/social wellbeing focus which has been prevalent particularly with Manukau City Council. We do not want to see Council restricted to just “core activities”.

We are concerned about the lack of role clarity for the local boards. Local boards are a recognised infrastructure which are comprised of community leaders, people of credible integrity, cultural status and “mana” elected by their communities to be “their voice” in the local council, and to actively participate, contribute and advocate for the wellbeing of their community. In the current structure identified they lack power. These leaders are being ignored, a true reflection of a system that is mono-cultural, ego centric and self centred. These leaders will need restoration of power otherwise they will be ineffective and useless to the communities they serve “and considered a rubber stamp board”.

We are concerned about council controlled organisations in particular how their focus is profit, this in effect puts profit before people. Privatisation is a major concern as we do not want to see our region’s assets sold off, and this is alarmingly serious. Our assets are our true heritage as a people of this land, Aotearoa. In terms of the Pacific advisory panel we do question reasons why this will be dissolved in 2013.

As citizens of this nation we believe that this Pacific Advisory Panel must be an integral part of the system and justified.

Specific issues

Local Boards:

This again, we reiterate the importance of having this body in the structure. It is the only recognised authority where the community participate in local government. It appears to be the only way for grassroots to participate in local government. The role of the local boards needs to be defined in legislation otherwise it is subject to ambiguity and at the mercy of whichever authority is tasked with defining it. In order for the Auckland Council to be able to effectively govern the region the local issues should be given over to the Local boards. Local boards will need to have a clear definition of what it can do and it will need to be properly resourced to serve the community. Auckland has the largest Pacific Islands people city in the world. Therefore the Local Boards is the JUST vehicle to effect change and showcasing that commitment to local government and communities. By having effective local boards Council is valuing the worth of community participation.

Council controlled organisations (CCO):

Council controlled organisations are about profit and not people, we strongly request more accountability at this level. We are not sure as to what form this accountability should take but we are acutely aware that something needs to be done about allowing the public to voice their concern over pricing issues and to have genuine interaction with the CCO in order to have those concerns addressed. There is only but one source for water so the monopoly by one company to manage it is holding us as residents to ransom.

In particular we mention Metrowater and how this was used as a cash cow for the Auckland City Council. Communities voiced their concerns about the high prices they were paying for water and yet Metrowater was turning over millions in profit. Water is a basic necessity of life we do not want to see it being used as a money maker by Auckland Council just like we do not want to see any CCO using the public to make money. This is a silent “killing system” by those in power, regardless.

Privatisation

We do not want to see water privatised. We do not want to see any assets privatised and are concerned at the raising of the moratorium to allow the Ports of Auckland to be sold. We do not support selling off of assets.

The Pacific Advisory panel

Pacific people are leaders within their own professions and are a significant part of the make up of this city. As an ideal we would like to see Pacific people in the decision making roles such Auckland Councillors and we as an organisation will continue to support Pacific people striving to achieve these positions.

What is being proposed is an advisory panel and going with this we question the dissolution of an advisory panel after three years. We propose a review rather than dissolution as a way to judge its viability since the panel would just be coming out of its infancy.

We would like the Pacific people of Auckland to vote for the representatives onto this panel in a fair and democratic process and not for the Mayor or Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs to appoint. This keeps the power with the local communities to appoint one of their own rather than be influenced by Central Government and it also invigorates Pacific participation. We do however agree with the Ministry of Pacific Islands facilitating and supporting this transparent process.

We are concerned that Pacific has been relegated to merely advisory in this local governance structure. Auckland City brands itself as the first city of the Pacific then Pacific should be involved in its governance rather than on the sidelines in an advisory panel.

General comments

Consultation

We are concerned at the consultation process, it has been rushed and hushed. The process is out of sight and out of mind, many communities have not been included in this movement. Some parts of the community do know what’s happening and others do not, there is fragmentation in the community and fast deadlines do nothing to help groups undergo effective consultation.

Mayor

With the new Mayor holding such a high position within the new supercity structure how will he or she be able to connect with the people, they will be further removed from their communities yet in the previous structure they were more accessible. The formalisation of this current supercity allows the mayor of Auckland to dictate and alienate its fellow constituents.

Maori seats:

We re-affirm our stand in supporting the Maori seats on Auckland Council. Since there is going to be a Maori Board, we emphasise the need for Maori representatives to be elected by Maori in Auckland and not by Central Government.

Thank you for your consideration.

PACIFICA Auckland members.