Editorial: Term limits needed

Former Rotorua MP Paul East

Former Rotorua MP Paul East is calling for term limits for trustees on the Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust, an idea worth looking at and expanding.

There won't be an election for the trust this year as only six people have put their names forward - and all are current trustees.

The trustees are Mr East, Grahame Hall, Trevor Maxwell, Sandra Kai Fong, Jo-Anne La Grouw and Lyall Thurston. The trust administers funds to the community derived from its healthy investment portfolio worth more than $125 million.

In the trust's 19-year history there have been few massive shake-ups. This is the first time all six trustees have been returned unopposed, with one or two new trustees joining the group at other elections held every three years.

This is a sign of a happy community, right? Isn't this just what a democratic system offers?

I disagree and believe Mr East's suggestion should go further and include other councils and boards nationwide. If not a time limit of stepping down after three terms, then five should seriously be considered. If you can't achieve your goals in nine to 15 years then something is wrong.

Rotorua District Council is a classic example. While there are some good people who have been on our council a long time, are they all still effective? I believe to truly get a fresh set of ideas you need new blood.

Plenty of people have taken up the challenge in this year's local government elections. But there will be some great future leaders missing out, purely because people will tick the names they know.

They do that because those are the same names that have been there for years.

That's not democratic.