John MacDonald: Why ask us what we think and then go and do this?

Why do councils bother with public consultation when, it seems, they don’t even listen to what people have to say?

I’m asking that after the announcement by the Christchurch City Council that it wants to put another $15 million into the reinstatement of the Anglican Cathedral.

That’s on top of the $10 million the council has already committed to the project.

I’m asking because, even though only a minuscule amount of people have told the council that it should, it wants to do it anyway.

Back in February, the council launched a public consultation process to find out whether people thought it should give more money to the cathedral or not.

Only 14 percent of the people who took part said it should, which equates to less than 200 people.

Nevertheless, the council wants to go ahead with it anyway.

To be slightly fair to the council, it only wants to give the cathedral project half the amount it was asking for.

You’ll remember too that the cathedral reinstatement people said they wouldn’t be looking elsewhere for money until the council coughed up.

Which, as I said at the time, was very arrogant.

So they haven’t got exactly what they were after, but it looks like they’re going to get another $15 million.

The problem with public consultation, of course, is that a lot of people just don’t bother.

Either because they don’t have the time or inclination, or they just don’t have faith that they’ll be listened to.

And I know that, even when you run a consultation process, not everyone’s going to be happy with the outcome, because everyone has different opinions on things.

That said, though, how the Christchurch City Council can even think that 14 percent is some sort of ringing endorsement for more ratepayer money being spent on the cathedral, I’ll never know.

Handing out another $15 million makes a mockery of this consultation process.

The council will probably try and defend itself, pointing out that this $15 million will only go to the cathedral if they can manage to get money from elsewhere too.

The council will also point out that it will only hand over the money if the church sells some of its property to put more money into it itself.

And it might even say something about 14 percent explicitly supporting it and another 51 percent not having an opinion either way.

But that still leaves the 35 percent who said they were explicitly opposed to more council money going into the cathedral.

A final decision is expected on 26 May, but the fact the council is even considering it tells me that it shouldn’t have even bothered asking what people think.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Morning's Podcast with John McDonald
from News Talks AB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
The question I've got in my mind is why do
councils even bother with public consultation when it seems they
don't even listen to what people have to say. Why
do they even bother? I'm asking you that after the
announcement by the christ Church City Council that it wants
to put another fifteen million dollars into the reinstatement of

(00:34):
the Anglican Cathedral and christ Church another fifteen on top
of the ten million, the Council's already committed to the project,
on top of the ten million. We have already committed
to the project. And I'm asking about the consultation, But
why do they bother? Because even though a minuscule amount
of people have told the council that it should do

(00:57):
what it wants to do, despite all that it wants
to do it anyway, only a minuscule amount of people
say yeah, but we think the council things are oh
and there's a license to do it. So what's happened?
Bit of background. Back in February, the city Council launched
a public consultation process to find whether find out whether
people thought it should give more money to the cathedral

(01:18):
or not. It also asked about other heritage buildings needing
money to this Academy museum, the old Duckster Lucks building
at the Art Center, of the Provincial Chambers buildings. I'll
get onto those a bit later on. And the council said,
if we put more money into the cathedral, that will
mean an increase in rates. So I put the question
out there and would you believe it that only fourteen

(01:42):
percent of the people who took part said it should
spend more on the cathedral. Fourteen percent. But by the way,
how many people does that equate to? Less than two hundred? Nevertheless,
council wants to go ahead with it anyway now to
be slightly feed of the council slightly. It only wants
to give the cathedral project half the amount it was

(02:04):
asking for. And you remember too that the cathedral rensaatement
people said they wouldn't be looking elsewhere for money until
the council coughed up, which, as I said at the time,
was earlier this year. Extremely arrogant on their part. So
they haven't got exactly what they were after, but it
looks like they're going to get half another fifteen million.

Speaker 1 (02:25):
Now.

Speaker 2 (02:25):
The problem with public consultation, of course, is that a
lot of people just don't bother, do they. They don't
bother because they either don't have the time, think they
don't have the time, don't have the inclination, or they
just don't have faith that they'll be listened to. And
I know that even when you run a consultation process
on something, not everyone's going to be happy with the

(02:45):
outcome because everyone has different opinions on things. That's why
you run a consultation process. Whether the outfits running the
consultation processes listen is another thing. That said, though, how
the christ Church City Council can even think that fourteen
percent is some sort of ringing endorsement for more rank

(03:05):
payer money being spent on the cathedral I will never know.
Handing out another fifteen million makes a mockery of this
consultation process. Now, the council will probably try and defend itself,
pointing out that this fifteen million will only go to
the cathedral if the project can manage to get money
from elsewhere to the council will also point out that

(03:27):
it will only hand over the money of the church
sells some of its property, so the church can have
more skin in the game. And I might even say
something about fourteen percent explicitly supporting it and another fifty
one percent not having an option or an opinion either way,
But that still leaves. So it might say, that doesn't
change the fact that fourteen only fourteen percent explicitly support it. Also,

(03:50):
it still leaves the thirty five percent who said they
were explicitly against more council money going into the cathedral.
And for me, the fact that the council is even
considering it, even considering it, it tells me that it
shouldn't have even bothered asking people what they think. It
asked and more than twice as many people were against

(04:12):
it than those who were for it. What do you
make of that? So the councils expected to make a
final decision on the twenty sixth of May. Now Mayor
Film Major has already said he supports it. I want
to find out though, where you stand. How do you
feel about the city Council putting another fifteen million into

(04:32):
the cathedral on top of the ten million we've contributed
already for.

Speaker 1 (04:38):
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