From Calgary to NZ, some issues are exactly the same

Chester Borrows , National MP for Whanganui Supplied to the Herald on Sunday by the National Party for use in News

THE year 2015 is off to a flying start, and for most there has been a welcome relief from political reporting.

In my first column this year, I want to reiterate that the comments will generally be locally focused, albeit the electorate spans two regions Taranaki and Whanganui, so what is local in Waverley may not be quite so local at Fordell. But the whole region, if not the country, is in for an interesting time with the drop in dairy prices and energy prices affecting big earners for NZ Inc.

While big drops in petrol and diesel prices will have plenty of positive spin-offs for individuals and consumers, the tax take will take a hit. Generally, though, the independent commentators are remaining positive.

This weekend in Whanganui, the Anniversary Weekend celebrations will be a chance to show off a little of the heritage and culture existing in the region and listen to good music and sample the local fare.

Having spent the first few days of the year in temperatures ranging between minus-25 to six above zero, more often the former than anywhere near the latter, I am pleased to be back in the sun, though missing the ready smile of the cutest little Kiwi in North America. As on previous visits, though, I was interested to see that some issues are the same world-wide.

Calgary faces some errant behaviour by local councillors, just like district councils within and bounding our region, and a drop in energy prices has created a major problem for the oil-backed government of Alberta, of which Calgary is the biggest centre.

A big drop in crime has been recorded, but violence remains an issue. In spite of a huge motorway system, buses and light rails, commuters spend too long on the roads trying to get home - not really an issue for us in these parts.

I took some time out of the holiday and spent a morning visiting the Youth Offenders Residence and found the same. Although the aboriginal population are only 1.5 per cent of the general population, their children make up over half of the incarcerated youth.

Some return time and again and, in spite of education being acknowledged as the single best influencing factor to preventing recidivism, it comes last after any Justice Department requirement in the residence.

Many of the philosophies behind the policy are shared internationally but what trumps that on a day-to-day basis is politics.

On another work-associated visit, I called on the Manning Centre which is a centre-right think tank currently researching a number of issues. The most interesting of these is the performance of the Calgary City Council, including the informal alliances between councillors, voting records, meeting attendance and workload.

This was not at all negative but threw up concerns not previously realised. For example, councillors got 60 hours of reading on a Friday for a Monday meeting. But 60 hours weren't available to read the material, let alone sleep, eat or work.

This meant the elected representatives were totally at the whim of the paid officials and relied too heavily on executive summaries which were invariably light on detail, especially details that detracted from any proposal, which was where the officials wanted it to go.

People forget district councillors don't earn enough from stipends to support themselves so have to fit the necessary preparation for meetings into a busy work schedule. Dumb decisions will be made if they are not fully informed and voters will not be represented well if decisions are only ever in line with officials' advice. Nobody said governance was easy, or well paid.

Looking out on 2015, my thoughts are with those who want to achieve for the region, not only socially and culturally, but economically and for the betterment of the environment in which we live.

All elected representatives and public officials should look to enhance, not just exploit, and balance the costs of short-term gains against long-term goals. And we should kick off as we mean to carry on; positive, progressive and in expectation of a good year in a magic corner of a great country with a big future.