Mark Erskine
28 October 2018
Favona Ratepayers , Auckland : https://www.favonaratepayers.org.nz/
mark.erskine@actrix.co.nz
I had asked Bruce ( Rogan , chair of Mangawhai Ratepayers ) - and now yourselves - if the conference would as a matter of considerable priority, consider establishing a Ratepayers New Zealand local government Election Policy that is based on the policy Bruce promoted in the recent Kaipara Mayoral by-election campaign.
A return to accountability, transparency, democracy, prudent use of Ratepayers funds, core provision of Ratepayer services (etc), ahead of all other additional council activity, was pretty much the gist of it.
This would form the basis of a national policy for all future Ratepayers New Zealand candidates in the upcoming Local Government elections and would offer Ratepayers the opportunity to vote for candidates from a nationally united / organized Ratepayers New Zealand , focused on regaining control of council operations on behalf of the wishes and best interests of Resident and Ratepayer voters who fund the very existence of Local Government.
You would think such a campaign platform would resonate with and therefore encourage the massive numbers of non-voters to come out and vote for something that:
- Will seriously benefit the majority of all Residents, Ratepayers and their families going forwards, rather than just those with their "noses in the trough".
- Is nationally based (Ratepayers NZ).
- Also has an astute and successful national lobbying profile with central government.
The integrity of a proposed Ratepayers NZ candidate policy would also attract high quality candidates back into Local Government in my view - rather than the non-achieving narcissists and sociopaths that currently flock to Local Government elections every 3 years.
There would need to be "waka-jumping" protection in the policy, so that candidates with "other" aspirations can't use the Ratepayers NZ candidacy to get themselves elected and then abandon the Ratepayers NZ policy promises later to put their feet up on their desks as our current fraudulent politicians habitually do.
There would need to be a substantial penalty regime in place, such as the penalties for "Making False Statements and Declarations" or "Using a Document and / or an Utterance" offending (Crimes Act 1961).
Please let me have your thoughts on (what I consider to be) this very important matter.
Regards, Mark.
Favona Ratepayers , Auckland : https://www.favonaratepayers.org.nz/
mark.erskine@actrix.co.nz