Don Brash
Hobson’s Pledge
Rotorua Lakes Council’s Co-Governance Plans
Rotorua Lakes Council are attempting to bring in co-governance via the Te Arawa Partnership Plan.
The Rotorua District Residents and Ratepayers (RDRR) Association have written to the Minister of Local Government to urge ministerial intervention. They shared this letter with us and here are some important excerpts:
In September 2024, the Te Arawa Partnership Working Party Facilitator’s Report called for embedding Te Arawa 2050 principles into governance and proposed the establishment of a Te Arawa Vision Committee to formalise extended co-governance arrangements. Council subsequently endorsed this direction without authentic public consultation.
Rotorua’s Long-Term Plan 2024-2034: Implications for Governance
Under Mayor Tania Tapsell, after the thwarted local bill, expectations for inclusive democratic processes were high. However, the Long-Term Plan (LTP) adopted on November 1, 2024, entrenched the Te Arawa Partnership Plan as the primary governance framework, sidelining other interest groups. This contradicts the coalition government’s 2023 mandate to democratise local governance and focus on core services...
...The LTP explicitly privileges Te Arawa over other stakeholder groups, undermining equal representation.
The Te Arawa 2050 Vision Committee: A Structural Power Shift
A significant governance shift occurred in late 2024 with the establishment of the Te Arawa 2050 Vision Committee, a policy advisory subcommittee of council. It comprises the mayor, all 10 councillors, and five TTOTAB members. Since nine of its 15 members whakapapa to Te Arawa, the committee effectively institutionalises co-governance, prioritising tribal interests over democratic decision making.
The RDRR raised some important concerns with the minister and we share these concerns:
- Overreach of the Te Arawa 2050 Vision Committee:
- The committee wields disproportionate influence, overriding rights of the 72 per cent non-Māori electorate.
- It subverts the LGA’s (Local Government Act) democratic principles of equal suffrage and pluralistic majoritarianism.
- Lack of Public Consultation:
- The committee was established without broad community engagement, violating the LGA’s (Local Government Act) requirements for transparent decision making.
- Te Arawa 2050 is being positioned to replace Vision 2030 without a public mandate.
- Bias Towards Co-Governance:
- The mayor and three Māori ward councillors appear to prioritise tribal interests over their duty to represent all constituents.
- The Te Arawa Vision 2050 Committee’s structure and council’s executive influence signal a shift towards governance that favours a single minority group and minoritarianism.
We look forward to hearing what Minister Simon Watts has to say about this and will be pursuing answers of our own. Watch this space.
Our councils are clearly still dead set on smuggling anti-democratic co-governance into local government and apparently our universities are just as hellbent on establishing racial segregation in higher education.
University Pushing Racial Segregation in Higher Education
We’ve seen an internal email from a student at Canterbury University who was dismayed to learn that they were excluded from particular tutorials simply because of their race. The email outlined that “tutorials will prioritise first filling Māori and Pasifika students … with the goal to build whanaungatanga and manaakitanga”.
This is being done in the name of whanaungatanga (kinship/connection) and manaakitanga (kindness/respect/care). The irony of claiming such a motivation when they are excluding some students based on race!
Invoking such principles does not magically absolve the university from its responsibilities to all students as stipulated in New Zealand law. We remind the university of its legal obligations under New Zealand’s Bill of Rights, the Human Rights Act, and the Education and Training Act.
Discrimination is discrimination no matter how the university chooses to dress it up.
All students have the right to education and access to the relevant lectures, tutorials, and materials related to their courses.
I am writing to the vice chancellor of the University of Canterbury about this matter and I will be asking what the position of the university is concerning the access of all students, regardless of their race, to university courses, tutorials, and materials.
I’ll also be requesting reassurance that if such discriminatory practices are occurring these will cease and staff will be instructed to comply with the aforementioned New Zealand laws.
We are keeping an eye on councils, universities, the public service, and on everyone who wants to divide us by race. We will keep you updated and call on your support to hold the powerful to account.
This article was originally published by Hobson’s Pledge.
