Moratti claimed to have not been an “active member” of Hobson’s Pledge for 10 years, but in 2021, he campaigned as a Hobson’s Pledge trust member, alongside councillor Murray Chong, against Māori wards on Taranaki councils.
The ratepayer group advocates for less council spending to reduce rates and opposes Māori wards, iwi representation on committees and anything else they deem “race-based”.
Moratti claimed strong public support and recognition from central Government.
“Please listen to your citizens of New Plymouth and read the room. We are requesting that we become part of the decisions-making [sic] process, just as some other un-elected parties are.”
On Facebook, the ratepayer pressure group has 1800 followers. New Plymouth district has 62,673 enrolled voters.
Moratti asked councillors to defer any decisions on the procurement strategy until after October’s local election.
The strategy goes to the full council on Tuesday, but the nitty-gritty of policies and procedures isn’t due to be ruled on until the new council is elected.
The procurement revamp aims to save NPDC money, while generating prosperity, and making social, cultural and environmental gains.
Among many goals, the strategy proposes improving partnerships with iwi, hapū and Māori businesses, so they could help supply the council’s needs.
Moratti quoted the staff report to council: “Apply the principles of kaitiakitanga [guardianship] to ensure public funds are utilised responsibly.”
He asked: “What does that mean?”
The strategy recommends structured governance to improve contract management, but Moratti repeatedly mis-read this as structured co-governance. The document makes no mention of co-governance.
“This procurement strategy has far greater implications,” he claimed. “This has now gone nationwide to relevant ministers, other platforms.”
Chong, who’s a former New Zealand First and New Conservatives candidate, isn’t a voting member of the committee, but sat with other councillors to say he feared “going down a slippery track of division”.
“It’s a race-based policy component on it and actually, moving forward, we need to take race-based politics out of all our systems.”
Chong set up the New Plymouth Ratepayers Alliance with mayoral candidate Max Brough.
Chong said he and Brough had to “officially remove ourselves”, as the group is affiliated with the Taxpayers Union, which he said didn’t allow politicians as members.
Council candidates Mark Coster, Debbie Hancock and Kerry Vosseler were front and centre in Moratti’s audience, but as would-be politicians, couldn’t join his group.
Brough suggested keeping the council’s current procurement policy, but favoured local contracting, so he voted with all other councillors to accept the new strategy.
Another mayoral contender – current Deputy Mayor David Bublitz – said it was about being fair to all suppliers.
“We need to understand that it’s not race-based, it is equity-based.”
On Thursday, Hobson’s Pledge said it would remove billboards opposing Māori wards that featured a bought photo of Ellen Tamati, who supports Māori wards.
Her mokopuna (granddaughter), Anahera Parata, said the whānau strongly disagreed with the campaign.
“I can’t imagine being Nan, having to face our iwi when her face is being plastered all over billboards supporting a message that none of us believe in.”
LDR is local body journalism funded by RNZ and NZ on Air.
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