Editorial - Tuesday November 5, 2013

Peter Jackson, editor, The Northland Age

A CHANGE in government leadership, at national or local level, is inevitably accompanied by enthusiasm, optimism and a firm belief that the future will be plain sailing. Equally inevitably, the passage of time brings pressures and problems, and some of the gloss wears off.

There is good cause to hope that the new Far North District Council, and local government in Northland generally, will introduce a new era of unity and progress, however. Electors throughout the region, with the exception of Kaipara, which isn't ready for an election yet, were certainly looking for change when they voted last month, choosing new mayors in the Far North and Whangarei, followed by the Northland Regional Council's election of a new chairman.

Above all, what we want to see now is the co-operation that has long been missing from local body politics in Northland. Much of the recent lack of unity has been attributed, not always fairly, to former Far North Mayor Wayne Brown. It would be fair to say that Mr Brown's vision for the district was that of a loner, one who thought that the district could and should paddle its own canoe and leave the rest of the region to its own devices. That scenario might yet be delivered by the Local Government Commission, although that seems unlikely.

Criticism might also be aimed at the regional council, which, rightly or wrongly, has in the past often been seen to be imposing rules and regulations contrary to the reality of life in the Far North, and focusing on the needs of the Whangarei District at the expense of the Far North and the Kaipara. That criticism might well prove to have been addressed by the council's new electoral model, which should put an end to domination by Whangarei, real or imagined, at least in terms of votes.

The regional council does need to convince some people that it recognises the fact that there is life north of Hikurangi, however, and the region's northern reaches have elected members who can be relied upon to remind their fellow councillors of that should the need arise. Whatever the competing needs of the communities it serves, the NRC has a key role to play in uniting Northland, a common theme amongst those who were sworn into office in the Far North and Whangarei last week.

There is also an urgent need for Northland to communicate with Wellington, most immediately in terms of rules and regulations emanating from there that impose costs on the region for no tangible gain. Wellington - and that often means the bureaucracy as opposed to Parliament - needs to be told that Northland will no longer slavishly do as it is told. As Frank Newman once told a meeting of the Landowners' Coalition in Kaitaia, Northland needs leaders who will represent Northland in Wellington, not leaders who will represent Wellington in Northland. There is every reason to hope that John Carter, Sheryl Mai and Bill Shepherd will spare no effort in getting that message across.

Meanwhile last week's swearing-in of Mr Carter, his councillors and community board members, fairly oozed optimism. Mr Carter, who prior to entering Parliament was the Hokianga County Clerk, was welcomed home by a number of speakers, who clearly regard him as a man who knows and understands the Far North, who can unite it and lead it into a promising future.

That challenge was accepted by Mr Carter with alacrity, but it's going to be a big job, assuming the current restructuring process does not eventuate in the forming of one unitary authority for the region. If that's what happens, everything will change, and whatever the last Far North District Council does or doesn't do won't count for much.

For those who wish to retain the status quo of one regional and three district councils, the next few months will be critical. If the positivity that is so evident now can be maintained, and the three councils can set out a clear plan as to what they want to do and how they intend to do it, the case for retaining the status quo will be strengthened immeasurably.

That is unlikely to influence the Local Government Commission, which is expected to propose one unitary authority for Northland along with local boards (which will need government legislation). The commission, quite realistically, expects a proposal for change to be challenged by way of a poll, however, giving voters the chance to accept or reject it. Any such vote taken after say six months of effective co-operation between the existing councils might well have a different outcome to one taken after years of increasing dysfunction.

It is by no means a given that last week's positivity will continue, however. Mr Carter and his council have some big issues on their plate, including mining, Maori representation, the balancing of a need for major investment in infrastructure and the need to contain debt and limit rate increases, and claims over Maori land that one speaker at last week's swearing-in described as having been "inherited" by the council.

As he and others also noted, whatever happens regarding the structure of local government, the Far North's political and economic landscape is in the process of changing thanks to Treaty settlements. Those settlements will obviously be of enormous economic benefit, not only to the iwi concerned but the district as a whole, but in some quarters at least there seems to be a clear expectation that that enhanced economic power will be accompanied by political influence, specifically by Maori representation at the council table.

To this point Mr Carter has clearly not favoured Maori wards, although he says he wants to work with hapu and iwi. And so he should. Maori are a hugely important demographic and economic part of this district. That importance will grow as Treaty claims are settled, but even without them Maori needs and aspirations cannot be separated from the needs and aspirations of the district as a whole. Whether or not that warrants Maori wards is another thing altogether.

It might well be argued that separate Maori seats are not required given the proportion of Maori who are eligible to vote, and the quality of Maori candidates in the recent past. The election of lawyer Willow-Jean Prime to the council has been widely applauded as broadening the council's view, but perhaps it was Rueben Taipari Porter's mayoral bid that really showed a glimpse of the future.

The problem for Maori who feel unrepresented has never been a lack of candidates, but the fact that Maori voters haven't supported them. Mr Taipari Porter was never going to win the mayoralty this time, and given his lack of experience probably won't next time, but he showed that a fiercely Maori candidate can appeal to a cross-section of voters. The real enemy for those who bemoan a lack of Maori political influence is apathy. Maybe that too will change over the coming term.

That issue, and others, particularly mining, will demand some considerable political skill if Mr Carter is to make good on his promise to unite the North. That he has the ability, and the council, to do so is not in question, but we shall see. Without unity everything else that has been promised will remain out of reach. There will have to be compromise, and if the new regime can achieve that then times really will have changed.