Poll: Should we move to four-year council terms?
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
North Canterbury’s three mayors are backing calls for a four-year council term.
Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) has established an electoral reform group to consider changes to increase voter participation and implement four-year terms.
It will be led by Nelson mayor Nick Smith, a former government minister.
Waimakariri mayor Dan Gordon said his council supported moving from a three to a four-year term.
‘‘It is not the biggest priority, but it would certainly make a difference.
‘‘It has been long advocated for and the Future for Local Government Review panel recommended it.’’
He said elections were costly and by holding them less often, councils would have more time to implement their work programmes.
Long-term plans would also likely be moved to four-yearly, instead of every three years, which would take the pressure of council staff, he said.
Hurunui mayor Marie Black said she also supported four-year terms.
‘‘I never really agreed with it for a long time, but now I see the value, because it is costly to have elections and I think the volume of work and outcomes over a four-year term would be greater.’’
She said councillor remuneration would need to be considered, as four years would be a major commitment for councillors juggling other employment.
‘‘I first came in as a councillor working part-time for Plunket and I was able to juggle work around meetings.
‘‘But you’ve got to be able to do that, so it places some pressures on councillors.’’
Kaikōura mayor Craig Mackle said four-year terms were needed for central Government, but he also supported local government making the change.
LGNZ president Sam Broughton said a four-year term would ‘‘double the amount of usable time’’ for councils.
He said the first year after an election was spent getting systems in place and for new councillors learning their roles, while the second year was spent working work on long-term plans.
‘‘And then the following January you start thinking about the next election.’’
Broughton said indications were the Government was considering having a referendum on four-year terms, which would likely include changing central government terms as well.
‘‘It is unusual around the world to have a three-year term.
‘‘Most countries have a four-year or even a five-year term.’’
The electoral reform group will focus on increasing voter turnout, transitioning to four-year terms, considering the ways people can vote, who should administer local elections and how they are best run.
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown said the Government was preparing a Bill on four-year terms, but a final decision would be subject to a binding referendum.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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63.2% Yes
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36.8% No
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0% I'm not sure/something else (share your thoughts in the comments)
Best way to use leftovers?
I'm sure you've got some excess ham at home or cold roast potatoes.
What are some of your favourite ways to use leftover food from Christmas day? Share below.
⚠️ 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 ❤️
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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36.7% Winter
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1.5% Other - I'll share below
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