The reality is that He Puapua is alive and well in local government and in spite of the coalition pledge to ‘Stop all work on He Puapua’, it is now so rampant that it is threatening to take over the sector entirely, with very significant consequences for ratepayers.
Forty-one per cent met or exceeded their revenue growth targets in 2024, and 37 per cent achieved or surpassed their profit growth targets, indicating resilience despite rising costs.
The game ends when the players are so drunk that all racial hypersensitivity has been banished by the liberating power of liquor and, ironically, a sober view on ‘cultural offensiveness’ has been restored.
A more direct approach will be needed to get the sector back on track: trimming the bureaucracy and operations to ensure council rate increases are no greater than the rate of inflation, instigating debt repayment plans and undoing the grip of tribal interests would be a good start.