Unintentional racism
If everyone voted as thoughtfully as W. Goldsmith (Letters, December 30), there'd be no problem, but most people give up when they see a long list of names they know very little about and choose what's familiar, so Maori vote for Maori and Pakeha vote for Pakeha.
Council elections are first past the post, which means winner takes all, and minorities like Maori miss out. It's not intentionally racist but it has the same effect. Wards would go some way towards solving the problem.
A better solution would be thoughtful and well-informed voters so candidates are always elected on merit, but that isn't likely to happen any time soon.
As to R.E. Stephens' argument that wards aren't democratic, parliamentary electorates limit choice in exactly the same way. We can't choose prime ministers either - political parties do that.
Alan Armstrong
Rotorua
Rule by the people
How about a 2018 resolution that has direct democracy as its aim?
I raise this because our media is telling us the wishes of local politicians and ignoring the
100,000 people of Tauranga city, who have no say, but have to pay.
For example: a new visitor centre, museum, library, admin block, carpark, 15th Ave upgrade, water system, annual staff rent and more.
Free we get: chronic water shortage, traffic gridlock, impossible parking and more.
Democracy means rule by the people, it does not mean electing average people
who become, in my view, dictators.
To Tauranga City Council, here's a new 2018 resolution: install an electronic voting system which will enable all 100,000 Tauranga voters to express their binding votes on all major issues.
Ken Evans
Tauranga
