Roles: Governance is different to government. It is not politics and councillors are not politicians.
Roles: Governance is different to government. It is not politics and councillors are not politicians.
2018 is an election gap year — no local council or central government elections ... so what better time than now to think about the issues, the people we elect, and the decision-making process ... while there is no real pressure, secret agendas or ulterior motives.
Just recently I hosted Bruno Kaufmann, a prolific author on democracy, as well as a journalist, from Sweden/Switzerland. One hat Bruno wears is that of Global Democracy correspondent for the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, he is also a former Falun (Sweden) city councillor.
Bruno's goal is to meet democracy activists, independence campaigners, local journalists, councillors and politicians. By the time his trip ends he will have covered more than 20 countries on four continents. That is pretty impressive and quite a personal commitment.
Bruno was excited to hear that Whanganui residents will experience direct democracy first-hand, come our next council election, when they get to vote on whether to keep the FPP (First Past the Post) voting system or change it to STV (Single Transferable Vote). We have of course had some experience with direct democracy in the past when former mayor Michael Laws, and his council, put a number of issues to the people in a series of plebiscites about local issues. It is important to note however, that a plebiscite is quite different from a referendum. Referendums are introduced from the ground up, by the people, but a plebiscite is a top down process imposed on the people by those in control, usually to manipulate citizens and to give some form of legitimacy for decisions that those in power have already taken.
The discussions I had with Bruno got me thinking even more than usual about what happens around here. So it was with great interest that I followed a recent online debate about paying the "living wage" (currently $19.80 an hour) to Whanganui District Council staff who earn less than this amount.
One Whanganui District councillor labelled the living wage as unfounded social engineering. Another councillor argued for the Local Government Act to reinstate "social wellbeing of the community" as a core tenet of local government, and this was supported by yet another councillor. Implementing policies like these is controversial in local government, as are many other issues, such as our new wastewater treatment plant, the voting system and adding fluoride to drinking water.
That debate got me thinking about governance, the people who make these governance decisions (councillors) and their decision-making processes. Governance is different to government. It is not politics and councillors are not politicians, even though some might like to think they are and even though politics comes into most aspects of our lives — even dealing with our children.
Governance is collective decision-making; it's about tackling local social and economic issues. It's about setting the strategic direction for our community. It should be about pragmatism instead of politics, innovation rather than political ideology, and it should be about doing the right thing in the circumstances, but often it is not. The councillors I spoke about earlier all had strong political party affiliations and ideologies that clouded their judgement.
Good governance should also be about making decisions based on research and knowledge, not baseless opinions, because opinions are a dime a dozen. Decisions must be backed up with sound thinking and sound logic. Just because you have something stuck in your mind about an issue does not make that thought intelligent or logical. Your thinking could be flawed .. now there's an innovative thought for some people! Making good decisions is about keeping an open mind and researching a subject if you are not very familiar with it.
So, the next time you are debating an issue with someone, ask that person if they have made up their mind about that issue .. if the answer is yes, then that person has closed their mind to all other possibilities and you need to point that out to them and challenge that thinking.
Unfortunately, closed-mindedness is a bad trait I see far too often in central and local government. Having good governance must therefore be about electing the right people for the job. Sadly, electing our councillors seems to have become a popularity contest. It shouldn't make any difference at all if a councillor holds a PhD in metaphysical humanistics; has won an Olympic gold medal in tiddlywinks or just happens to be the nicest person on the planet with the greatest smile .. because, as singer Shania Twain stated, that don't impress me much.
The task is to find representatives that have an open mind, are prepared to do research and be prepared to put the time and effort required, into the job. Sadly, a few councillors are starting to let the community down and aren't putting in the time because they have too many other commitments, or have lost interest now that they can't achieve what they had hoped. Some turn up late, leave early or do not attend all meetings. Being a councillor might only be considered a part-time job with part-time wages, but the reality is that if you are going to do the job properly, it needs a full-time commitment.
My new year's challenge to voters is that you hold your councillors accountable, challenge their thinking on issues and ensure politics, ideologies, personalities and agenda driven motives do not come into the decision-making process. We must also ensure that all corners of our community benefit, not just the squeaky wheels.
My new year's challenge to all councillors is to strive for an open mind, tap into the wealth of knowledge in our community, to not be too proud to seek guidance and to think about how well you are doing your job. If in your heart of hearts, you know you are not giving it your full commitment .. step aside for someone who will, because Whanganui has a depth of talented people who have the ability to do the job.
While this crop of councillors may have abundant potential, that potential is wasted without the appropriate allocation of desire and dedication, to excel.
Steve Baron
■Steve Baron is a Whanganui-based political commentator, author and Founder of Better Democracy NZ. He holds degrees in economics and political science.
