What innovative ideas are they collectively going to follow-up on? Or will they simply claw on to their elected term and keep releasing little nothing sweeteners that we are well over, such as, "I will produce xyz jobs over the next three years," or "It's time for a change!"
Great sound bites, but are they simply going to rely on business owner's and entrepreneurs in our region to do it alone, and leave it to those strugglers who have far less influence than themselves? Or will they try to attract new industries and be proactive in putting creative steps into place themselves? How and when, what is the plan? Have they even got one?
Why are we collectively so comfortable about ushering in the same model of elected Northland officials, the 'get-nothing-doners', into our representative midst when we all know we will keep getting uselessness?
Northland voters who haven't ticked a box this year should not be criticised; the abysmal polling figures mirror the standard of representation we have had the bad luck to endure for so long. Our political and representative list over the past 30 years is a roll of shame.
Take a bow, past and present Northland politicians, because thanks to you our region is in danger of producing a generation in which the majority of youth will leave school and for 50 years not be able to get a permanent non-government-assisted job in our region, purely because there will not be enough work to go around. Nothing to do with people being lazy, about dodging work to stay on benefits, or because they are not trying hard enough.
We have, I feel, had plain useless political leadership.
Imagine the majority of our youth having to leave our wonderful region en masse for better prospects elsewhere. Those unable to find work, or move, will surely do desperate things, like turn to crime, or choose to have babies year after year so that they remain 'permanently employed' as beneficiaries. Already those situations have eventuated, but far quicker, and in bigger numbers, than we had imagined possible.
Our police are dejected. They know the tsunami is building every day sooner than later the crime tipping point will occur if our elected officials don't act now. We are becoming the crime and beneficiary-dependent capital of New Zealand.
If our elected officials are unable to do any good, why don't they get some of the innovative officials from around the country up here, those who have enabled their regions to progress, to 'think tank' for our region then? (Hint, hint, we have Auckland, New Zealand's biggest market, on our doorstep.) Office bearers make us feel like First World citizens here, in the place we love, not just when we travel afar.
Calling all Northland parliamentarians and elected officials, unite and do something worthwhile ASAP while you have the opportunity and purse strings to do so. If there are any of you who know you are not up for the challenge, who know that after three years the sum of your efforts will have created zero difference to our economic prospects, who know in their heart of hearts that they are wasting valuable taxpayer funds, who treat your office as a cushy number while you spend most of your actual working time on other 'interests' please go away.
However, if you choose to stay then I want to see you bleed for us in negotiations with central government I want to see a united and vigorous front and no backing down. I want to see you concentrate fully on repping us (the Northland public) with pride, to get definite results over the next three years without rehashing excuses.
Prove us wrong if you can, that is the wero. Why? Because we, and our children, are worth it.
HARKO BROWN
Kerikeri
