Journalist Janet Wilson opened a 3 July column in The Post, titled Coalition finds a handy distraction in council bashing, with this observation:

“You’re a first-term government elected on a mandate that you’ll lift the country’s Third World economy. Except for various reasons – your own inability to rein in spending, geopolitics, to name a couple – you don’t.

“Now, mid-term, with voters giving you the thumbs down in a series of polls, what do you do?

“Why, you find another form of government that the electorate arguably loathes even more and go to war with them. You threaten to abolish regional councils and, hypocritically, plan to cap rates while announcing new resource management powers giving central government the right to overrule councils if their decisions negatively impact economic growth, development, or employment.”

She nailed the utter hypocrisy of the Government’s assault on local government. I urge you to read her article.

This chart illustrates the hypocrisy.

Finance Minister Willis doubled down on the council bashing, commenting:

“Councils don’t always do a great job of spending your money like you would spend it. There are wasteful projects – there is evidence of that. 
[Editor: substitute ‘Government’ as the first word of this sentence and you have an equally or more true assertion.]

“We want councils focusing on the things people expect them to do, which is the rubbish, the roads, the pipes, the basics – and not all the fanciful projects. 
[Editor: No argument here about desired focus, but I wonder if Willis has actually ever looked at a local council budget to get a reality-based understanding of the ‘basics’ that do receive the vast preponderance of councils’ normal spending, to say nothing of recovery spending in our region. Bridges are 38% more expensive to build over the last three years, and sewerage systems are 30% more expensive. Roads and water supply systems are around 27% more expensive.]

“There will be pushback because when you take candy away from kids in a candy store, they don’t really like it. But at the same time, we are on the side of ratepayers.
[Editor: What an insulting statement! I’d love to see Willis or National’s twin cheerleader MPs in Hawke’s Bay make that statement directly to our HB mayors and councillors.]

So I put it to MPs Wedd and Nimon: Do you regard our local councillors as “kids in a candy store”? Do you think HB councils need a rates cap to do their business properly?

I wasn’t holding my breath for real answers.

Case in point, here is a comment from MP Nimon: “The Government has said generally that it wants councils to look at whether their spending benefits their communities and focuses on fixing fundamental issues first, with the core focus is on delivering basics well and providing ratepayers with value for money. As a local MP, I am supportive of potential changes in this space and will share more when possible.”

And from MP Wedd: “Local councils should also focus on their core responsibilities, rather than ‘pet projects and nice to haves’. We expect local councils to focus on their core asset management, including Hawke’s Bay Councils. Central government acknowledges we have a role to play in making sure legislation and policy support local government to deliver for New Zealanders.

“The Government is working at pace on a rates cap model – Local Government Minister Simon Watts will be getting feedback later this year.”

In other words, MP Wedd will know her position on rates caps when Minister Watts tells her.

As for local body candidates, in this election cycle, either you’re a council basher for political expediency, undeserving of a vote, or you’re a constructive critic with a plan to table.