Mayor pitches in during TV debate

Carterton Mayor Ron Mark appeared on TV 3's current affairs programme The Nation on Saturday Morning.

Mr Mark was part of a panel with Metro Magazine editor Simon Wilson and former Labour Party candidate Josie Pagani, interviewed by Lisa Owen in a wrap up of the week's news.

Issues discussed were National's ban on legal highs due to take effect on May 8, the retirement of Labour's Shane Jones and David Parker's proposed changes to the Reserve Bank Act.

Mr Mark accused associate health minister Peter Dunne of putting the responsibility of regulating legal highs on local government.

He said Mr Dunne had made the mistake of not taking all legal high products off the market when the Psychoactive Substances Act was drafted.

"He took a shortcut and the whole government followed him, now local government is left cleaning up the mess."

The panel also discussed Mr Jones' retirement from the Labour Party.

Mr Mark told the panel that Mr Jones would be missed because he did a good job and represented Maori and middle New Zealand.

The panel discussed Labour's proposed Reserve Bank Act reform [a proposal to keep interest rates down, balance the exchange rate and make housing in NZ more affordable].