David Seymour and Chris Hipkins are right, local politics needs a shake-up – Editorial

Wellington's water woes have been well documented. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Editorial

THREE KEY FACTS

• The Labour Party has extended nominations for Wellington’s mayoralty, unable to find a candidate to challenge Tory Whanau.
• The Act Party announced it is looking to stand candidates in the upcoming local council elections.
• This will be the first time Act has looked to put forward candidates in local elections.

Yes, that’s right, David Seymour and Chris Hipkins are in agreement.

And while their reasons for wanting change may differ, they are both correct that local body politics needs some fresh thinking.

The Act Party yesterday announced it is looking to stand candidates in the upcoming local council elections, with Seymour arguing it’s “time for a clean-out”.

Act said it won’t be considering challenging mayoral seats yet and candidates would be expected to raise money to fund their own campaigns.

Seymour told Mike Hosking on Newstalk ZB yesterday that many of the problems people complain to their electorate MPs about can be traced back to their council.

From the roads we drive on, how we operate businesses, to the water we drink, our councils have enormous influence over our quality of life. It is more than many of us would probably like to admit.

Wellington, its water woes and variety of other issues, is the country’s current example of how poor local governance negatively impacts daily lives and increases frustration – and rates.

“My initial observation is that it is surprising that the organisation hasn’t totally wilted under the pressure. It didn’t need to be this way,” Wellington City Council Crown observer Lindsay McKenzie said in his first report earlier this year.

The second half of McKenzie’s statement is the key.

Hipkins, meanwhile, told Newstalk ZB Wellington Mornings host Nick Mills that while he isn’t actively engaged in Labour’s search for a mayoral candidate, he thinks the city needs “a really good shake-up”.

The Wellington branch of the Labour Party said it’s been unable to find a candidate to challenge Tory Whanau for the capital’s mayoralty, announcing it is extending nominations.

Hipkins said despite this, he’s open to talking to anyone and would potentially endorse an independent candidate for the job. This position is refreshing in an age of hyper-partisan politics.

Seymour also said: “I think it’s better to be trying new things, even if they don’t work out the first time than never try at all”.

Regardless of their individual politics, both Seymour and Hipkins' sentiments should be welcomed. We must always be searching for better and encouraging new candidates and expanding the diversity of thought is one step to improving our local politics.

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