Sam Broughton: Local Government NZ President on extending both national and local government terms to 4 years

Local Government New Zealand is making its support known for four-year terms extending to them. 

The Government's proposing to keep the standard three-year term, but allow it to be broadened if the opposition of the day is better represented at select committees.  

Local Government New Zealand President & Selwyn Mayor Sam Broughton told Mike Hosking it makes sense for councils to adjust as well.  

He says there's only one good year for doing work, with the other two disrupted by elections and setting up. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The old four year term debate is back. The government
is part of the coalition deals introducing legislation. So if
that's passed, we'll then go to a binding referendum, which
we haven't had before in this country. So what chance
it passes? And if it does, what would it mean
for local government? Local government? New Zealand presidents in Broughton's
with a Sam very good morning to you. Now, I
know you guys want four years. Does it have to
dubtail though? I mean, does it? Can't we do an

(00:21):
Australian you know, like federal and state?

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Yeah, it makes sense to do it together. I think
the three year term that we've got at the moment
means we've got a year of disruption as we get
into an election, we have a year of settling after
an election, and then we have one good year of
doing work. So I think we'd probably double the productivity
of both central and local government with a four year
term for both.

Speaker 1 (00:40):
We have voted on this before and we've rejected it.
Is there anything to indicate that if we did vote
again it would be any different?

Speaker 2 (00:48):
Yeah, We've done some research which actually there was good
support for local government to transition to a four year
term and even more supportive of the government itself moved
to a four year term as well. So I think
icans matured from the views that we might have had
twenty or thirty years ago. And yeah, look forward to
having a referendum, having the discussion if we move for
central government, we do need to move the local government too.

Speaker 1 (01:07):
You can't. You can't argue with democracy if we vote
and we vote. But having said that, see I mean
the ultimate argument though is look to the Wellington City Council.
They're incompetent. Would you want four years of them? Look
to a really good council, you would want four years
of them. So how do you square that circle?

Speaker 2 (01:22):
I think part of that's making sure we've got the
best people in that community stand in for council and
we get more people engaged in voting if you know
that it's going to be there for four years and
we need to see a greater voter turnout and people
taking local government elections a bit more seriously. I think
you're right. We do want to see people a good
and a good government and for four years or more,
and that's you you'ret a best case scenario, not just

(01:44):
always beg yourself to get it wrong, and then we
set ourselves up to fail all the time.

Speaker 1 (01:48):
Couple of things. While I got you, do you know
the Ara part of Reuben's story out of Ashburton?

Speaker 2 (01:53):
No, I don't say. Right.

Speaker 1 (01:54):
So he's on the fame d ash Burton District Council
Water Committee. He doesn't turn up to any of the
meeting and he still gets paid money and nobody's going
to do anything about it.

Speaker 2 (02:03):
What's that about the Canterbury water management strategy. I think
that's what you're you're talking about here. We have the
zone committees the aarently in and they're in a review
state at the moment, so the local councils and Eken
are working through what the future of his zone committee
should be. Some love the way that things are at
the moment, and others are looking to differ.

Speaker 1 (02:23):
That's the reason they're giving for paying this guy eight
thousand dollars for not doing anything. Is paying people eight
thousand dollars not to do anything acceptable to local government
New Zealand.

Speaker 2 (02:34):
I don't know the situation, Michael.

Speaker 1 (02:36):
I've I've just told that situation. He doesn't turn up
and he gets paid not to turn up.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
I think we expect to pay people to do a
job currently.

Speaker 1 (02:44):
So yeah, and the other one we've got this morning
is Horror Fanuid. Do you know about the Horror Fanua
situation with the bloke in Scotland?

Speaker 2 (02:52):
No, I don't say.

Speaker 1 (02:52):
Okay, so he's a local councilor, he's been elected and
he's he's not turning up anymore because he's moved to Scotland,
but he argues he can be a good local counsellor
and Horror Fanua from Scotland, do you reckon that's acceptable?

Speaker 2 (03:05):
I think we need some greater accountability around what we
expect from our elected members and us pleased to hear
the government talk about a code of conduct review that's
part of it. But yeah, I think we're elected to
local government. You expected to turn up and have you
say and be a part of a democracy.

Speaker 1 (03:21):
Glad to hear it. Samy, you have a good week
in Sam Broughton, who's the local government president.

Speaker 2 (03:25):
For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to
news Talks.

Speaker 1 (03:29):
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