Transcript from 07:16, 25 August 2020, NewstalkZB
Mike Hosking Do you look to take over in some way shape or form either the Tauranga City Council or the Invercargill City Council?
Jacinda Ardern Why on earth are you making such a suggestion?
MH Because the Department has written to both of the Councils looking for information that they may involve the role of the Minister in them.
JA And you are suddenly making an assumption that we are going to take over …
MH Well that is one of the out-workings of the information they received from the letter they sent them.
JA … Councils. Mike, if you’ve got a list of the things you want to run through this morning, then that is fine …
MH Were you not aware of the Department writing to Councils asking for information regarding potential Ministerial involvement?
JA Mike, that is a ridiculous suggestion that we would take over a Council – […]
[stuff about Ports of Auckland etc]
JA The idea that we are taking over a Council, though, is incorrect.
MH Neither Council?
JA No, Mike
MA Are you sure?
JA Mike, when has this Government ever taken over a Council?
MH You’re not going to appoint anybody to run the Councils? Is what I’m asking.
JA No! [Exasperated]
MH Then why are you writing letters asking for information, from the Minister’s Department, then?
JA Look Mike, I can’t speak to that in detail but, no, we are not taking over a democratically elected Council.
It seems that by the end of this section of the interview Ardern had begun to realise that Hosking knew more than she did about this subject so fell back on the tried and true “I can’t speak to that in detail” line.
So are we quite clear? Ardern has assured us repeatedly that there is no possibility that the Government might appoint someone to run Tauranga City Council.
Let’s read a recent Agenda from Tauranga City Council, Emergency Council Meeting held Friday, 21 August 2020, starting at paragraph 5.
These matters have recently come to the attention of the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), and doubtless have been noted by the Minister for Local Government. On 13 August 2020 the Chief Executive received a letter from the Director Ministerial Advice, Monitoring and Operations, DIA
The “these matters” are a number of issues, poor personal conduct by Councillors and failure to adequately resource decisions made and so forth. Here is the letter.
The agenda continues at paragraph 8:
It is appropriate for Council to consider the matters raised in the letter from DIA, particularly the framework pursuant to Part 10 of the LGA which would potentially be applicable.
- Part 10 of the LGA provides the Minister with a range of options in relation to a local authority that has a problem. The options vary according to the nature and scale of assistance required to address the problem. The LGA defines a problem as “a matter or circumstance relating to the management or governance of the local authority that detracts from, or is likely to detract from, its ability to give effect to the purpose of local government within its district or region”, and includes “a potential problem”.
- The options available to the Minister under the LGA are:
(a) Requiring of information where the Local Authority has not publicly acknowledged the nature and extent of the problem or may be unable or unwilling to effectively address the problem.
(b) Appoint a Crown Review Team with power to investigate, review and recommend to the Minister.
(c) Appoint a Crown Observer with power to assist, monitor, and recommend to the Minister.
(d) Appoint a Crown Manager with power to direct the local authority to act and recommend to the Minister.
(e) Appoint a Commission (where a Crown Review Team, Crown Observer or Crown Manager is unlikely to address this issue).
Oh dear! There is a possibility that the Government might appoint someone to run Tauranga City Council.
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