Statement from Mayor Chadwick on pausing of Local Bill process
28 April 2022
Statement from Mayor Chadwick on pausing of Local Bill process
Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick says today’s decision of Council to support a pause of the Māori Affairs Committee process considering the Rotorua District Council (Representation Arrangements) Bill is a sensible one.
“This will allow council officers to work with legal advisors, parliamentary and government advisors, on strengthening the policy work of the Local Bill,” Mayor Chadwick said following Council’s confidential discussion on the matter this morning.
“I will now be writing to the committee clerk seeking the pause, but given the public interest in this process, I am making the decision public now.
“We have always said the Bill is about the right way forward for Rotorua and have always been committed to working through the parliamentary process with Central Government. It is an important discussion and it is important that we get it right for Rotorua.
“We urge a review of the Electoral Act that has resulted in the confusion and anxiety some of our community is currently expressing.
“Delays were always anticipated and the Local Bill states that if not passed in time for the 2022 local election, Council will use the representation model approved by the Local Government Commission following the Representation Review for this year’s election.
“The pause enables everyone to get the discussion around the Bill right. Rotorua is seeking a Local Bill for election arrangements here because we have moved on from what the Local Electoral Act provides for our community. We want all our votes to count towards representatives at our council table.”
Statement from Labour MP & Bill Sponsor Tamati Coffey:
“I support the Rotorua District Council’s decision to press pause on their Bill in order to review the Bill of Rights analysis,” Tamati Coffey said.
“As sponsor of this Local Bill, I will be seeking the support from the Maori Affairs Committee to suspend submission hearings while possible amendments are being considered.
“As is standard with a Local Bill, which I was sponsoring on behalf of the Rotorua District/Lakes Council, a Bill of Rights analysis is not undertaken until the Bill appears at Select Committee, as opposed to all other Bills where it occurs before the First Reading.
“Once receiving the advice from the Attorney General, it was clear that more information was needed, and a suspension will now be undertaken to respond to the Attorney General’s Bill of Rights analysis and consider other concerns this Bill raises.
“Labour would not have supported the Bill further in its current form. The pause allows for the Council to work through the options and decide whether the Bill could continue in an amended form.”
Background information
This Local Bill currently being pursued by Rotorua Lakes Council would enable the Council to implement representation arrangements that are otherwise prevented by the Local Electoral Act 2001. The representation arrangements would apply to the next two triennial general elections of the Rotorua District Council.
The Bill would provide for the Rotorua District Council to be comprised of:
- One general ward with three seats
- One Māori ward with three seats
- One mayor elected at large
- Four seats at large.
It would also retain the Rotorua Lakes Community Board, and the Rotorua Rural Community Board.
Lean more on the NZ Parliament website HERE.
Learn more on Council’s consultation platform Kōrero Mai/Let’s Talk HERE.