Participation by Te Tatau o Te Arawa Board (TTTAB) nominees on the SP&F and O&M Committees of council has fallen steadily to about half what it started out as, with no shows at some meetings.
During the Annual Plan hearings, TTOTAB's two nominees to each committee were withdrawn to avoid perceptions of a conflict of interest. The board and the two community boards made submissions and were each heard by council, without participating in the final decision.
The TTOTAB has a budget of $250,000 per annum to provide policy advice to these two committees via two nominees on each, and to two other committees. It will receive an additional $40,000 in 2019 to pay for its election. It has just been promised another $1 million to deliver an unspecified bilingual programme. The council has just advertised for a new group manager Maori for well over $100,000 to provide corporate management advice and ideological leadership.
There are opportunities for major savings here for residents and ratepayers, a not insignificant issue in the light of the comparative data in the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union's 2017 Ratepayers' Report.
If the chief executive needs advice on corporate management he can get it from the chair of TTOTAB. The Kaitiaki Maori can provide ideological leadership. Given the actual attendance of nominees, a proportionate amount of the base budget can be handed back. Finally, local Maori businesses can be given a chance by council specifying a modest Bilingual Programme, and putting it out to tender.
