Merepeka Raukawa-Tait: Mayor Brown needs central government help now, big time

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown would do well to show more empathy for the plight of thousands of city residents struggling amid the past week's devastation, Merepeka Raukawa Tait writes. Photo / Dean Purcell

OPINION:

If Wayne Brown thought being mayor of Auckland was just about kicking ass, telling CCO directors they’re not up to the job and demanding they resign, and shaking a finger at central government and telling them Auckland is his responsibility and to bugger off, they’re not needed unless he invites their input, then he’s had a rude awakening. He needs central government help now, big time.

In good times, when everything is seemingly running smoothly, that’ might be an egotistical stance you’ll get away with, even putting some runs on the board. But it’s also very true that when you take such a high-handed, disdainful approach to relationships, as we’ve seen from Mayor Brown since he took office in October, you never know when things might come back to bite you on the bum.

When a catastrophe hits a community - there is no other term for the deluge of water and flooding Auckland experienced last weekend - it is our elected leaders that we look to.

We want to see that they understand people are anxious and fearful. It’s from them, headed by the mayors, that we seek assurances that the situation is not unsolvable if we face the challenges together with courage.

We expect them to say they understand how scary things feel, but that by working together we can weather this storm. We expect them to take the lead in co-ordinating emergency relief responses across our cities, districts and regions.

We want to be reassured they are working collaboratively with emergency services, volunteer and community groups. That it’s all hands to the pump.

But most importantly, local mayors must be visible. We elected them because we believed they would be seen, heard and communicate clearly and often too, with updates at regular intervals in times of crisis. Social media networks are ideal for getting vital messages out.

Communication is not everyone’s cup of tea.

Apparently, fear of public speaking is always at the top of surveys exploring what people fear most.

But I think it is a necessary skill for public office. And at least when you’re mayor, you have more than enough communication and public relations advisers who can put you through your paces with pointers on what, and how, you need to get your message across to the public.

I can never understand why we have to complicate communicating to the masses.

Keeping it simple is best.

Merepeka Raukawa-Tait is chairwoman of the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency and was a long-serving Rotorua Lakes councillor. Photo / Andrew Warner

Get good advice as to what needs to be conveyed, what you want people to know and understand.

If you really struggle to communicate, limit your press conference content to just three points. In the case of Auckland, Mayor Brown could have said:

1) This is a catastrophic event for many parts of our city and the wider Auckland region. I acknowledge this is devastating.

2) We are mobilising all the emergency support we can, even as we speak.

3) I want to thank everyone who is out and about helping neighbours, friends and families.

That’s all Mayor Brown had to say, then get himself out and about. He is supported by emergency services people who can fill in the details. It’s their business to know and be prepared to share critical information, and as soon as possible.

In the one press conference I have seen so far with Mayor Brown, he looked bewildered. He looked like a possum caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. It didn’t appear to me that anyone from the media was attempting to have a go at him. All they wanted was answers to their questions, no matter how brief.

They wanted to see a mayor who could show empathy for the plight of thousands of Aucklanders and come across as if he cared.

If the citizens of Auckland are now voicing their dissatisfaction with his emergency response press conference performance to date, he has only himself to blame.

Unashamedly signalling to high-paid senior staff they’re surplus to requirements, promoting cost savings on council services and promising minimal rate rises might be laudable to some.

But so too is understanding the disciplined action required in times of disruption. The need to take quiet, deliberate steps, particularly when communicating, rather than reacting belligerently when you can’t or won’t answer questions put by the media to inform the public.

It is in times of crisis that leaders become real.

Merepeka Raukawa-Tait is the chair of the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency and was a Rotorua Lakes Councillor from 2011-2022. Raukawa-Tait is a columnist for the Rotorua Daily Post and is a regular social issues commentator on TV. Of Te Arawa, she is a fearless advocate for Māori equity and equality.