Susan Short
Susan @DEMOCRACYACTION
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  • Apr 08, 2019

< April 2019 newsletter


Hastings District Council joins the Hall of Shame

A big thank you to those who contacted Hasting District councillors to encourage them to vote against the proposal to enable four members of the Maori Joint Committee to sit and vote on the council’s four standing committees. Unfortunately, enough councillors (10-4) felt able to turn their back on democracy by appointing unelected Maori to all committees. 

This is despite currently having five councillors who have identified as being of Maori descent, (according to the HDC website).

Mayoral hopeful Stuart Perry has already come out strongly against the move when he wrote in the Hawke’s Bay Today on Friday 29 March that “making decisions about the direction of our community is the responsibility of those councillors we elect”.

It is important to let those who vote against the undermining of our democracy know that we appreciate their stand. Please send messages of support to the four councillors who did so:

Cr Malcom Dixon [email protected]

Cr Rod Heaps [email protected]

Cr Simon Nixon [email protected]

Cr Kevin Watkins [email protected]

Media Coverage:

Radio NZ: Hastings councillors vote in favour of more Māori representation in committees

NZ Herald: Tears and singing as Hastings District Council votes to appoint tangata whenua representation

Point of Order: Another Battle of Hastings – and one in the eye for those bloody democrats


Go back to the April 2019 newsletter

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