Ashburton mayor backs shift to four-year terms
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
A local election overhaul is on the cards with four-year terms and the end of postal voting up for consideration - and both concepts have the backing of Ashburton mayor Neil Brown.
Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) has set up a group, headed by Nelson mayor Nick Smith, to consider how best to improve voter turnout and build support for reform from communities, councils, and central government.
LGNZ president Sam Broughton said "serious reform" was needed, adding that voters would see more work achieved if council terms were extended to four years.
"Currently, local elections are cumbersome and inefficient compared with the general election.
"We also feel there is too much time and money wasted by having short three-year terms."
Brown has previously signaled his support for a four-year term.
“I think it’s a good idea and good to see they have set up a task force to look into it.”
Under a three-year term with a long-term plan review landing in the middle, councils have a limited window to set in motion and oversee any direction before elections rolled around again, he said.
As well as extending the council term, Brown said they should look at the long-term plan being reviewed every three years.
“It’s a huge process and the value of it being reviewed every three years is not in tune with the cost and workload.”
Especially when they still go through an annual plan process in the intermittent years, he said.
The days of voting in a local election by post could also end.
Smith said there are questions over the “viability of postal voting with the decline of postal services and most people doing their business online”.
A shift away from postal voting also had Brown’s support.
“It makes sense in today's age of everything being electronic.
“Some people are sceptical it could get tampered with, but I'm not so sure.
“It will get participation up, making it easier to vote.”
Who should administer the local elections is also up for review.
At present, most individual councils hire private companies to conduct local government polling.
Turnout has been in steady decline nationwide.
In the last election, only 50.5% of Ashburton’s eligible population voted, which was down from 55.05% in 2019, but remains above the national average of 45.62%.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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61.8% Summer
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36.5% Winter
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1.6% Other - I'll share below
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