Home News Opinion Videos Blogs Features Family Notices Classifieds Photos Events Clubs Advertising Contact
Sport Focus on the Land Entertainment
Editorials Columns Letters
News Market Place
Letter
System here works well as it is
Saturday, July 07, 2012
Well done Meng, Craig and rural councillors for resisting pressure from a vocal minority to change a system of representation that works well.

The term compliant is only a number — our population divided by the number of councillors. There is more to fair democratic representation than whether or not we comply to some historical formula. Any ratepayer living within the city boundary has the choice of getting one of eight councillors (or all eight if necessary) to represent them, all within five minutes drive (except Craig).

Rural residents only have one person to call on with travel times of up to three hours round-trip.

At the end of the day, all 14 councillors represent the whole district and all 14 plus the Mayor do their best to allocate rates collection on a user-pay or who-gets-the-most-benefit basis. So what do submitters calling for more city councillors hope to achieve?

I agree with Peter Farley’s suggestion that less is best, but if geographic travel time was the overriding criteria, guess where the cuts would be.

Manu Caddie says “council should uphold the principle of one person, one vote . . .” Hello! City people get eight votes each compared with rural residents who only get one.

My good friend Allan Brown said “rural councillors seem to run rings around the city ones”. So why would you want to cut the rock stars and get more plonkers?

In my opinion this is one of the few examples where our elected council has told central government to “sod off” and leave us to decide what’s best for our community.

Kia Kaha,

GARY HOPE
Comments
No comments - be the first to comment
Poll

Do you agree with a bid to pull bridge jumpers away from unsafe road bridges in the city by building “bombing platforms” for youngsters in safe places along the Turanganui River?

Please read: Call for ‘bombing platforms’
Yes
No
Don't Know
Send in your
News
Letters
Columns
Events
Clubs
Classifieds
Poll suggestions
Explore The Gisborne Herald
News Editorial Features Events
Sport Letters to the Editor Family Notices Clubs
Focus on the Land Columns Classifieds Advertising
News Features Polls Photos Contact
64 Gladstone Road, PO Box 1143, Gisborne, New Zealand | Ph: +64 6 869 0600 | Fax: +64 6 869 0643 (editorial) | Fax: +64 6 869 0644 (advertising) | News Hotline: 0800 NEWSLINE (639 754) | info@gisborneherald.co.nz Copyright © The Gisborne Herald