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As rounds go, city and borough councils were not sought after by journalists in the olden days.
As a junior reporter at the Auckland Star at the end of the 1900s, I preferred to cover crime, which always made the front page; sports, which always made the back page; or music, where you’d at least get free records or tickets to gigs.
But local government? Forget about it. Getting sent to cover a meeting of one of Auckland’s many city and borough councils at that time would make you think the chief reporter didn’t like you. Apart from councillors, the only other humans in the room would be one senior staff member and the reporter from the local community newspaper.
We would sit there with thick meeting agenda papers the size of War and Peace, and exchange sympathetic looks that said, “I see you, there’s no judgment here. We’ll get through this together.”
But the local government bug bit me, as I realised that what happened at these meetings often affected people’s lives more than the decisions made in the halls of power in Wellington.
Fast forward to 2022, I was elected to the Henderson Massey Local Board in my neck of the woods in West Auckland. When you get the support of your fellow residents to do a job like that, it’s powerful motivation to make a decent fist of it. Especially when they’re among the few residents who bother to fill in their ballot papers and send them in.
The voter turnout in Auckland at the last local body elections was just under 40%, which matches what tends to happen globally, so at least we’re not the only ones wasting a chance to influence what happens in the areas where we live.
We need to do more to try to raise the voter turnout but, in the meantime, there’s a lot of work to do, especially in local board areas like mine where there is high deprivation.
The Henderson Massey local board area is second in Auckland in terms of Māori population, has the biggest proportion of Pacific people outside South Auckland, and its diverse population numbers a few thousand more than the city of Dunedin.
Before I got on the board, I used to wonder what local boards did, given the decision-making for the city sits with the governing body, the Auckland Council.
Halfway through this term, with the support of my fantastic fellow board members and council staff, I realise there’s a steep learning curve of things to know, care about and advocate for.
Never in my life have I noticed how many rubbish bins there are. Never before have I noticed so many reserves. We shouldn’t be the “City of Sails”, we should be the “City of Nice Reserves”.
Never have I paid attention to which different parts of the city got the best lighting at night. Or which suburbs had the best playgrounds. Or who has the most free events and activities for local people.
I’ve also learned that our communities and suburbs are filled with extraordinary networks of people, often working with meagre resources for the betterment of the strangers they live alongside.
Whether it’s for the youngsters, troubled ones, too, to have somewhere safe to hang or programmes to help them reach their potential. Or to help people to do a budget, grow a vegetable garden, practice traditional arts or painting and exhibiting a picture. For new migrants to this country to have support and guidance in their own languages. For the groups of people who put in hours of volunteer work to keep the local streams and rivers as clean possible for the next generation to enjoy.
It must be the same up and down the motu.
A recent column by Connor Sharp on the website Greater Auckland included a description of the difference between central and local government. Central government, he wrote, was about nation-building and local government was about city building, and by extension community building.
Amid already strained financial times caused by weather events or construction inflation, local bodies are facing increasing costs caused by government policies around things like water care, or wholesale and expensive changes to transport planning and funding.
Which is why when Prime Minister Christopher Luxon went to a local government conference to tell them they have to tighten their belts, it would have been like wolves telling sheep that they needed to focus more on security.
Taxation as a proportion of GDP has risen over time, but local government’s share has stayed at 2% of GDP, even as it is expected to bear more responsibility and costs for public wellbeing.
At times, contributing to local government is the most rewarding role, when you can think you can make a difference. And sometimes it can feel your area is like the guy in Wayne’s World 2 who gets run over by a steamroller. Everyone can see that trouble is coming but it’s too far away to do something about it. Yet, they still get run over.
Despite that, you have to stay and do your best for your fellow community members. It’s what motivates most who run for these seats. It’s too important not to.
Oscar Kightley MNZM and Arts Laureate, is a Samoan writer who’s helped create critically acclaimed award winning works for the stage, small and big screens.
