Legislation that will give the Government the power to delay next year’s local body elections until 2023 is being met with howls of outrage from opponents of the move.
East Auckland voters are set to cast ballots for representatives standing for the Auckland Council and Howick Local Board in October next year.
But that may change because of the controversial Covid-19 Response (Management Measures) Legislation Bill, which was introduced to Parliament on September 28.
The National Party is critical of the bill’s first reading being held under urgency and says the proposed law will give the Government the power to adjourn local body elections multiple times without constraint.
Botany MP and National Party Local Government spokesman Christopher Luxon released a joint statement on the issue with the party’s Covid-19 response spokesman Chris Bishop.
“This would be a major change and a threat to local decision-making, yet Labour are forcing the bill through a shortened select committee process which will allow almost no proper public consultation,” they say.
“Granting this power under the cloak of Covid-19 is egregious.
“Local body elections are conducted by postal ballot, not by in-person voting.
“The Government has ample time to prepare for the 2022 local elections and the existing ability to adjourn them if required due to an [Covid] alert level change.”
Howick ward councillor Sharon Stewart says she “strongly disagrees” with the move.
“The local body elections are all postal votes so Covid shouldn’t be any excuse,” she told the Times.
“Are they going to ask for an extension for the parliamentary elections?
“This is wrong. I can’t see any reason why they would need this.”
Howick Local Board chairperson Adele White says it’s “unacceptable” elected members first heard of the proposed law change through the news media.
“The Government’s urgency to pass this bill without warning or consultation is of huge concern.”
However, Howick ward councillor Paul Young isn’t worried about the change and says continued voter decline in local government elections is a much bigger issue.
Less than 40 per cent of super-city residents cast a ballot in the 2019 local body elections, he says.
“The sad reality is most people wouldn’t even notice if local government elections were delayed.
“The current system is failing not only Aucklanders but the entire country.”
Speaking in Parliament during the bill’s first reading debate, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said the Government passed two similar bills late last year.
“They contained a wide range of measures designed to enable businesses, local government and others to more effectively manage the immediate impacts of the disruptions that were caused by Covid-19 lockdowns.
“It is often the case, after a lockdown or after a period of restrictions such as the one we’re currently experiencing and have recently experienced, people are unable to comply with legislative provisions that apply to them.
“Things like deadlines for filing papers and so on.
“There are a range of requirements that need certain things to be done in person that cannot be done in person in the current environment, while we’re dealing with Covid-19.”
Speaking during the same debate, Green MP Julie Anne Genter said her party supported the bill.
“It’s pretty obvious that if we were in a situation of a level three or level four lockdowns, we wouldn’t be able to have public meetings.
“We wouldn’t be able to run a normal local body electoral campaign.”
