Rotorua District Council: We ask you to adopt a Democratic Governance Model

Are you aware of the proposed changes to governance at the Rotorua District Council? Did you know that your elected representatives may no longer be the only people making decisions that will affect you? There is a new plan called the Te Arawa Partnership Plan. It proposes that a new Te Arawa Board will nominate people to sit on Council committees. These nominees will sit alongside your elected councillors with (Option 2) or without (Option 3) voting rights. They will help supervise the CEO and make Resource Management Act decisions about development. Unlike elected councillors, these nominees will have disproportionate power and not be accountable to the people .
The Democratic Governance Model we have at
www.rotoruaprodemocracy.nz is a much wiser option in the public interest . It proposes a Maori Policy Advisory Board , a Community Policy Advisory Board , as well as guaranteed policy input from individuals and smaller interest groups , and expert advice from officials . It reserves decision-making power to the elected Mayor and Councillors who remain solely accountable to the people, not to one interest group, however important. The choice is between power sharing between the current regime on Council and the new unelected elite in Te Arawa, or a Democratic Governance Model including everyone in the public good.