Maori Wards
I was at a meeting recently when a gentleman spoke about a petition he was promoting calling on our local bodies to hold a referendum before instigating the inclusion of Maori representation on our local council. I believe this petition is racism in its worst form, playing on peoples’ fears, despite the man’s assurance that he “...has Maori friends”. The hidden message is of course: ‘there are more of us than them, so of course the vote will go against it, but it will seem to be more than democratic in the process.’
There are some who will be unsure, fearing the promotion of a separatist movement/governance for Maori but that could not be further from the truth. Our whole system has not honoured the Treaty sufficiently and the inclusion of Maori voice/s on the Council is a wonderful way to really ‘hear’ from tangata whenua as partners with a ‘real’ voice - not an advisory committee - but actually being heard and having their vote counted.
There are others who will just be fearful of some perceived threat from Maori as taking over, but this too is a fallacy – the Maori representatives will be only a portion of the votes cast on any given subject – the important thing is that all matters discussed will have their input.
While I am the first to criticize our Council if I believe they have erred, I am now applauding them for this long overdue step towards inclusiveness and true adherence to their Treaty obligations.
Poll: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.
When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?
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82.4% Yes
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14.8% No
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2.8% Other - I'll share below
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Today’s Riddle – Can You Outsmart Your Neighbours?
First you eat me, then you get eaten. What am I?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
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Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
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