WEBVTT - David Carter: NZ 'celebrities' run the local governments

0:00:05.761 --> 0:00:09.361
<v Speaker 1>You're listening to the Weekend Collective podcast from News Talks.

0:00:09.401 --> 0:00:13.921
<v Speaker 2>The'd be almost all of our local government representatives, or

0:00:13.961 --> 0:00:16.441
<v Speaker 2>many of them, especially mayors, have had a public persona

0:00:16.441 --> 0:00:18.601
<v Speaker 2>before they went forward for the role. But is that

0:00:18.641 --> 0:00:21.401
<v Speaker 2>all it takes? We see Andrew Little has signaled, although

0:00:21.401 --> 0:00:23.601
<v Speaker 2>he hasn't formally announced, it's probably going to happen tomorrow.

0:00:24.161 --> 0:00:25.801
<v Speaker 2>It would be my guest that he's going to run

0:00:25.841 --> 0:00:28.561
<v Speaker 2>for the mayoralty for Wellington. But what do we want

0:00:28.601 --> 0:00:30.801
<v Speaker 2>to actually want out of our local government? As name

0:00:30.841 --> 0:00:35.601
<v Speaker 2>recognition enough anyway? Formal Local Government Minister David Carter joins me. Now, David,

0:00:35.601 --> 0:00:36.721
<v Speaker 2>good afternoon.

0:00:36.961 --> 0:00:38.041
<v Speaker 3>Good afternoon, Tim.

0:00:38.641 --> 0:00:40.801
<v Speaker 2>So is it the devil you know that makes us

0:00:40.881 --> 0:00:43.161
<v Speaker 2>vote for people that we've known in other public roles?

0:00:43.401 --> 0:00:44.721
<v Speaker 2>How big an issue is this?

0:00:45.721 --> 0:00:48.841
<v Speaker 3>I think profile definitely helps. The good news would be

0:00:48.921 --> 0:00:50.601
<v Speaker 3>trying to get people out to vote in the first place,

0:00:50.601 --> 0:00:53.441
<v Speaker 3>because the turnout for local government election tier in New

0:00:53.481 --> 0:00:57.601
<v Speaker 3>Zealand's pathetic. But except that, then, if you've got some profile,

0:00:58.161 --> 0:00:59.921
<v Speaker 3>you've got to be a chance. That's no doubt about that.

0:01:00.121 --> 0:01:03.561
<v Speaker 3>And Levandrew Level was to decide a dance name for

0:01:03.601 --> 0:01:06.641
<v Speaker 3>the Warranted Mayority his profile would be high enough, I

0:01:06.721 --> 0:01:09.401
<v Speaker 3>think he'd be a very good bet, and frankly, I

0:01:09.401 --> 0:01:12.121
<v Speaker 3>think he'd be an excellent beer as well. So profile helps,

0:01:12.201 --> 0:01:13.201
<v Speaker 3>but it's not essential.

0:01:13.321 --> 0:01:15.921
<v Speaker 2>But we can all imagine where we have voted, perhaps

0:01:15.961 --> 0:01:18.241
<v Speaker 2>for someone who is quite well known, who perhaps didn't

0:01:18.241 --> 0:01:22.321
<v Speaker 2>turn out to be the mayor that we wanted. How

0:01:22.361 --> 0:01:25.601
<v Speaker 2>do we actually get good mayors? I mean, because let's

0:01:25.641 --> 0:01:27.321
<v Speaker 2>face it, if you're a bit of a sports celebrity

0:01:27.361 --> 0:01:29.041
<v Speaker 2>or something, you know, you're well ahead of the person

0:01:29.041 --> 0:01:30.761
<v Speaker 2>who might actually know a lot more about it than you.

0:01:32.081 --> 0:01:34.201
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, I think that's the point I'm making. If you've

0:01:34.201 --> 0:01:36.561
<v Speaker 3>got a profile, you'd likely to have more chance of

0:01:36.601 --> 0:01:38.521
<v Speaker 3>getting there. But bear in mind, once you're on the

0:01:38.561 --> 0:01:41.561
<v Speaker 3>council table, you're but one vote. So many mayors or

0:01:41.641 --> 0:01:43.921
<v Speaker 3>many people seem to think the mayor has a more

0:01:44.121 --> 0:01:47.801
<v Speaker 3>significant role than other councilors, that's not the case. How

0:01:47.841 --> 0:01:50.881
<v Speaker 3>do we get people who are interested in being local

0:01:50.921 --> 0:01:53.921
<v Speaker 3>body politicians, be at a council or a mayor. Let

0:01:54.001 --> 0:01:56.281
<v Speaker 3>get people who are really accountable for what they're there for,

0:01:56.641 --> 0:02:00.921
<v Speaker 3>and that is to wisely spend our rate payers money.

0:02:01.241 --> 0:02:03.121
<v Speaker 3>And that would be a vast improvement if we could

0:02:03.121 --> 0:02:05.041
<v Speaker 3>get that on many of the councils that I observed.

0:02:06.321 --> 0:02:08.761
<v Speaker 2>Are you sort of saying in a way, Look, especially

0:02:08.801 --> 0:02:10.721
<v Speaker 2>with mayors, it's like they've only got one vote. If

0:02:10.721 --> 0:02:12.921
<v Speaker 2>you get allowsy one who cares. I'm sorry to be

0:02:13.001 --> 0:02:15.041
<v Speaker 2>so cnical, but just got it bluntly.

0:02:15.961 --> 0:02:19.121
<v Speaker 3>No, I'm definitely not saying that, but I'm saying that

0:02:19.161 --> 0:02:23.201
<v Speaker 3>once the mayor is elected as mayor, he then only

0:02:23.281 --> 0:02:26.321
<v Speaker 3>has one vote. So if that person is an extremely

0:02:26.361 --> 0:02:29.921
<v Speaker 3>good mayor but has a hopeless council it makes it

0:02:30.041 --> 0:02:32.761
<v Speaker 3>very difficult for that person to then perform and show

0:02:32.841 --> 0:02:36.921
<v Speaker 3>return for his time as a mayor. He is once

0:02:36.961 --> 0:02:38.761
<v Speaker 3>the mayor is there, he is but one around the

0:02:38.761 --> 0:02:41.361
<v Speaker 3>council table. How do we get a better quality of

0:02:41.601 --> 0:02:44.641
<v Speaker 3>person standing to be a councilor or a mayor in

0:02:44.641 --> 0:02:45.281
<v Speaker 3>the first place?

0:02:45.521 --> 0:02:46.961
<v Speaker 2>Well, how do we get the better counselors?

0:02:47.001 --> 0:02:47.121
<v Speaker 1>Then?

0:02:47.161 --> 0:02:48.641
<v Speaker 2>Do you think or is it just like of the drawer?

0:02:50.161 --> 0:02:53.001
<v Speaker 3>A lot of that getting goes back to profile. It's

0:02:53.041 --> 0:02:55.681
<v Speaker 3>not the most of the warning of careers. I don't think.

0:02:55.721 --> 0:02:58.041
<v Speaker 3>I think for someone on the left it's an improved salary.

0:02:58.081 --> 0:02:59.761
<v Speaker 3>For those on the right, they're out there doing your

0:02:59.801 --> 0:03:02.721
<v Speaker 3>own thing. It's probably a superposed to do it. My

0:03:02.881 --> 0:03:05.841
<v Speaker 3>own father was on the Crossias City count for forty years.

0:03:05.881 --> 0:03:08.281
<v Speaker 3>He did it in the time when these guys at

0:03:08.281 --> 0:03:11.001
<v Speaker 3>that time didn't even get paid to do the job.

0:03:11.321 --> 0:03:13.801
<v Speaker 3>There was a true sense of doing it for the

0:03:13.881 --> 0:03:16.681
<v Speaker 3>right purposes, of doing it because you wanted to improve

0:03:16.721 --> 0:03:19.921
<v Speaker 3>your city. My observation of the councilor is that we

0:03:20.041 --> 0:03:23.161
<v Speaker 3>have now many of them aren't there with that focus.

0:03:23.241 --> 0:03:25.361
<v Speaker 3>They see it as a career. I don't think it's

0:03:25.401 --> 0:03:27.881
<v Speaker 3>highly rewarded, but probably some people do think it's well

0:03:27.921 --> 0:03:30.841
<v Speaker 3>rewarded and they make a career of it. And often

0:03:30.961 --> 0:03:33.081
<v Speaker 3>they didn't use that for stepping stone in the central

0:03:33.081 --> 0:03:34.401
<v Speaker 3>government politics, don't they.

0:03:35.361 --> 0:03:37.801
<v Speaker 2>Or stepping or the other directionists we might say with

0:03:37.841 --> 0:03:43.841
<v Speaker 2>Andrew Little, I guess turnout. What can we do to

0:03:43.921 --> 0:03:47.321
<v Speaker 2>improve turnout and engagement in local body politics? Do you think?

0:03:48.841 --> 0:03:50.641
<v Speaker 3>I wish I had the answer to that, because I

0:03:50.681 --> 0:03:53.961
<v Speaker 3>think turn out as pathetic. I think most people just ignore.

0:03:54.201 --> 0:03:56.361
<v Speaker 3>But I think people feel a bit disenfranchise that they

0:03:56.401 --> 0:03:58.281
<v Speaker 3>can't make a difference. But frankly, if they were to

0:03:58.361 --> 0:04:01.641
<v Speaker 3>vote and we had a higher turnout of voters, that

0:04:01.681 --> 0:04:06.041
<v Speaker 3>would make a difference. Part of upon now this postal wedding,

0:04:06.681 --> 0:04:08.721
<v Speaker 3>and of course I wouldn't know where to go and

0:04:08.761 --> 0:04:11.041
<v Speaker 3>post my papers when they finally arrived in the mailbox,

0:04:11.081 --> 0:04:13.001
<v Speaker 3>and I have to serve take able to find a

0:04:13.081 --> 0:04:15.161
<v Speaker 3>mailbox and then I hope like it on New Zealand

0:04:15.201 --> 0:04:17.761
<v Speaker 3>post clear it within a month that I posted. So

0:04:17.801 --> 0:04:22.241
<v Speaker 3>it's actually account and vote. The post system now is obsolete.

0:04:22.441 --> 0:04:24.281
<v Speaker 3>It's hopeless. We've got to find a better way to

0:04:24.281 --> 0:04:26.681
<v Speaker 3>get people voting, and I guess we're going to have

0:04:26.721 --> 0:04:28.401
<v Speaker 3>to go to some sort of online system.

0:04:28.841 --> 0:04:31.361
<v Speaker 2>Well, and actually I'm wondering if secretly what you're what

0:04:31.361 --> 0:04:33.361
<v Speaker 2>you're suggesting is it would it be better if we

0:04:33.401 --> 0:04:34.841
<v Speaker 2>went back to the day where we just had a

0:04:34.881 --> 0:04:36.721
<v Speaker 2>day where we all turn up to our local ballot

0:04:36.721 --> 0:04:38.841
<v Speaker 2>box and vote. What do you prefer? What do you

0:04:38.841 --> 0:04:42.121
<v Speaker 2>think we'd get more people engaged? Because there's something about

0:04:42.161 --> 0:04:44.481
<v Speaker 2>seeing the voting booths out there, isn't it. You get

0:04:44.521 --> 0:04:47.481
<v Speaker 2>this visibility in the community, you get the signs the campaign.

0:04:48.441 --> 0:04:51.121
<v Speaker 2>You just get more awareness of it, don't you You do?

0:04:51.321 --> 0:04:53.361
<v Speaker 3>And if you think back to those days when we

0:04:53.361 --> 0:04:55.521
<v Speaker 3>did it that way, which now must be twenty plus

0:04:55.641 --> 0:04:58.601
<v Speaker 3>years ago, if you study then the turnout, because I

0:04:58.601 --> 0:05:02.201
<v Speaker 3>think they were greater. Maybe one of the solutions. I

0:05:02.241 --> 0:05:04.041
<v Speaker 3>think it's either of those two. It's either we go

0:05:04.121 --> 0:05:06.841
<v Speaker 3>online or go back to a polling booth on the

0:05:06.961 --> 0:05:10.601
<v Speaker 3>day and you get down there and vote. It's either

0:05:10.681 --> 0:05:12.921
<v Speaker 3>those two solutions. We're going to have to move away

0:05:12.961 --> 0:05:15.441
<v Speaker 3>from postal voting for sure. Yeah.

0:05:17.041 --> 0:05:19.521
<v Speaker 2>What about in terms of just what advice would you

0:05:19.561 --> 0:05:22.681
<v Speaker 2>be giving to local government candidates to get their message

0:05:22.681 --> 0:05:25.041
<v Speaker 2>out there? Because look up, I'll be honest, I think

0:05:25.081 --> 0:05:26.481
<v Speaker 2>it's probably one of I'm not sure if it's the

0:05:26.481 --> 0:05:28.601
<v Speaker 2>most highly read sort of section of the paper, the

0:05:28.601 --> 0:05:30.321
<v Speaker 2>local government sort of thing, But how would you get

0:05:30.321 --> 0:05:31.841
<v Speaker 2>your message out there if you're not known. You've got

0:05:31.881 --> 0:05:33.801
<v Speaker 2>some great ideas well.

0:05:34.001 --> 0:05:37.721
<v Speaker 3>It's back to the name recognition and the agile way

0:05:37.721 --> 0:05:40.081
<v Speaker 3>of doing is actually just get out there amongst your

0:05:40.081 --> 0:05:44.161
<v Speaker 3>local community, get your your hoardings up there so people

0:05:44.201 --> 0:05:46.801
<v Speaker 3>do recognize the name, get out there and do the

0:05:46.841 --> 0:05:49.001
<v Speaker 3>hard work, actually do the door knocking. It's the way

0:05:49.041 --> 0:05:51.841
<v Speaker 3>most central government politicians actually get there. They get out

0:05:51.881 --> 0:05:55.401
<v Speaker 3>there and spend months and months and months wearing out

0:05:55.441 --> 0:05:58.601
<v Speaker 3>the shoe live and look on doorsteps even if nobody's home.

0:05:58.721 --> 0:06:00.961
<v Speaker 3>You can leave a card and say you're there. I

0:06:00.961 --> 0:06:03.641
<v Speaker 3>think the voters want to know they're going to get

0:06:03.681 --> 0:06:06.161
<v Speaker 3>somebody who's a worker. And if you get out there

0:06:06.161 --> 0:06:10.161
<v Speaker 3>and do that sort of hard yards, you'll be recognized.

0:06:10.361 --> 0:06:12.161
<v Speaker 3>If you've got wander up and knock on one door

0:06:12.201 --> 0:06:13.961
<v Speaker 3>and speak to somebody, and then the next door there's

0:06:14.001 --> 0:06:16.881
<v Speaker 3>nobody there, that neighbor will talk and say that particular

0:06:16.961 --> 0:06:20.321
<v Speaker 3>candidate knocked on those dooors. That's part of the job

0:06:20.441 --> 0:06:23.201
<v Speaker 3>is a candidate has to be prepared to show there

0:06:23.201 --> 0:06:23.641
<v Speaker 3>a worker.

0:06:24.001 --> 0:06:26.161
<v Speaker 2>What about the party politics side of things? What do

0:06:26.241 --> 0:06:30.161
<v Speaker 2>you I'm not a big fan of major political parties

0:06:30.201 --> 0:06:32.401
<v Speaker 2>getting in there, but there are sort of ways people

0:06:32.441 --> 0:06:34.361
<v Speaker 2>identify themselves as left or right. Do you think we

0:06:34.361 --> 0:06:37.401
<v Speaker 2>should try and keep party politics out of the local

0:06:37.441 --> 0:06:38.481
<v Speaker 2>government side of things.

0:06:39.281 --> 0:06:41.681
<v Speaker 3>I think we'd be naive to think the party politics

0:06:41.681 --> 0:06:45.121
<v Speaker 3>aren't already there now. The national party doesn't much to

0:06:45.161 --> 0:06:49.281
<v Speaker 3>do with candidates, but the Labor Greens units, particularly my

0:06:49.361 --> 0:06:52.721
<v Speaker 3>city of christ are far more organized and they work

0:06:52.801 --> 0:06:55.641
<v Speaker 3>well at election time getting their people out to vote.

0:06:55.681 --> 0:06:58.441
<v Speaker 3>So while they all crane, they're standing is some sort

0:06:58.441 --> 0:07:02.161
<v Speaker 3>of independent. Many of them are deeply embedded in party politics,

0:07:02.201 --> 0:07:05.001
<v Speaker 3>particularly on the left, and they then get the machine

0:07:05.121 --> 0:07:07.841
<v Speaker 3>Henry associated with the Labor Party and the Green Party

0:07:07.881 --> 0:07:08.841
<v Speaker 3>working for them.

0:07:09.641 --> 0:07:13.601
<v Speaker 2>Do you pay attention and yourself as a voter, how

0:07:13.721 --> 0:07:15.521
<v Speaker 2>much effort do you go to get your head around

0:07:15.561 --> 0:07:16.401
<v Speaker 2>who are you voting for.

0:07:17.721 --> 0:07:20.281
<v Speaker 3>I'll definitely work on that, but I guess listen, I'll

0:07:20.281 --> 0:07:23.481
<v Speaker 3>be guided by where I think their politics are, my

0:07:23.641 --> 0:07:26.841
<v Speaker 3>secret where my politics lie. And I suspect I'll have

0:07:26.921 --> 0:07:29.401
<v Speaker 3>somebody standing in my bank's minitial award for christ the

0:07:29.521 --> 0:07:33.321
<v Speaker 3>City Council who's clearly aligned to the Labor Party, and

0:07:33.401 --> 0:07:35.561
<v Speaker 3>I'll have somebody else who will not be aligned to

0:07:35.561 --> 0:07:37.881
<v Speaker 3>the Labor Party. Whether that person's aligned to a right

0:07:38.561 --> 0:07:42.121
<v Speaker 3>I've sent a political party or completely independent, that will

0:07:42.121 --> 0:07:44.441
<v Speaker 3>affect my vote. If I get a chance, I'll go

0:07:44.521 --> 0:07:46.921
<v Speaker 3>and see that person or both candidates perform at some

0:07:47.001 --> 0:07:51.641
<v Speaker 3>sort of candidates meeting, and I'll be asking questions around

0:07:51.961 --> 0:07:56.601
<v Speaker 3>amphability for rates and rate increases because local government's got

0:07:56.601 --> 0:07:58.481
<v Speaker 3>away with murder over the last year. Is it dis

0:07:58.481 --> 0:08:02.721
<v Speaker 3>bouncing up rates extraordinary levels when we've been living through

0:08:02.721 --> 0:08:03.881
<v Speaker 3>the cost of living curses?

0:08:04.481 --> 0:08:07.841
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, well, gosh, there are some big issues to get

0:08:07.841 --> 0:08:09.441
<v Speaker 2>your hit around, as a voter, aren't there Hey, David,

0:08:09.481 --> 0:08:12.561
<v Speaker 2>really appreciate your time this afternoon. Thanks so much, Always

0:08:12.561 --> 0:08:14.161
<v Speaker 2>appreasure Thanks to cheers David.

0:08:14.801 --> 0:08:17.561
<v Speaker 1>For more from the Weekend Collective, listen live to News

0:08:17.601 --> 0:08:20.681
<v Speaker 1>Talk zid BE weekends from three pm, or follow the

0:08:20.721 --> 0:08:22.281
<v Speaker 1>podcast on iHeartRadio