Crown pulls witness at 11th hour as Govt overhauls Māori health policy
Health Minister Simeon Brown is reforming the 2022 legislation that underpins the health system restructure and codifies the Government's responsibility to achieve equitable health outcomes for Māori.
The Government's plan to overhaul the Pae Ora (Health Futures) Act was revealed in a last-minute submission from Crown Law to the Waitangi Tribunal, ahead of this week's Health Services and Outcomes Inquiry priority hearing. And comes as the Government continues to implement its 'needs not race' policy agenda.
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RNZ News
23 minutes ago
- RNZ News
The problem with local body candidates aligning with national political parties
By Julienne Molineaux of Photo: RNZ / Nick Monro Analysis - With accusations flying thick and fast last year about supposed "dysfunction" and a "shambles" at Wellington City Council, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown stepped in and appointed a Crown Observer. Announcing the move, Brown said the "financial and behavioural challenges" facing the council represented a problem under the Local Government Act. Part of the issue, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon claimed recently, was that there had been "way too much ideology and party politics". With the Green-endorsed current mayor Tory Whanau withdrawing from the next election, and former Labour cabinet minister Andrew Little announcing his mayoralty bid , it remains to be seen whether those partisan perceptions have diminished. But at the other end of the political spectrum, the ACT Party is actively recruiting candidates to stand at the 2025 elections using its branding and policy platform. The ACT website states clear policy positions for prospective candidates to campaign on. The Local Government Act, on the other hand, requires elected members to consult with people affected by their decisions and to do so with an open mind. Reinforcing this point, the Office of the Auditor-General says those managing public resources must avoid holding pre-determined positions: You are not required to approach every decision as though you have given it no prior thought, or have no existing knowledge or opinion. However, you are required to keep an open mind, and you must be prepared to change or adjust your views if the evidence or arguments warrant it. If ACT is successful in building a local government ticket nationally, this tension - and the kind of tensions recently at play in Wellington - could be seen in other councils. Political party affiliations in local government are not actually the norm. In 2019, winning councillors around New Zealand mostly left the affiliation section of their nomination forms blank (60 percent) or stated they were "independent" (18 percent). Only 3 percent of winning councillors were affiliated with a registered political party, and 4 percent with a local grouping or ticket. But the picture changes in our three largest councils: Auckland Council, Christchurch City Council and Wellington City Council. No winning councillors in those cities left the affiliation section blank in 2019, 38 percent ran on a local ticket, and 22 percent for a political party. And there are good reasons for local body candidates to run as party-endorsed or on a local ticket, as former local body politician Shirin Brown outlined in her PhD thesis on Local Boards in Auckland: shared costs, shared resources (such as party volunteers to deliver leaflets), shared expertise and brand recognition for voters. Importantly, a candidate with low name recognition can coat-tail on higher profile candidates on the same ticket, or the public profile of the ticket overall. Other research suggests the strategy works: in Auckland, at least, those who stand with a group affiliation are more likely to be elected than those who do not. In larger urban areas, with high populations and low levels of representation per capita, visible groupings of local government candidates make sense. Research reveals a major obstacle to voting in local elections is a lack of information about candidates and what they stand for. Once elected, though, there are questions about the cohesion of groupings. Shirin Brown found the ad-hoc nature of some local tickets for Auckland's local boards - formed for strategic election reasons but with little coherence or discipline once elected - sometimes collapsed once in office. In Auckland, ward councillors and the mayor have run with group branding, but there is little evidence of whipping along party, ticket or broad ideological lines. As a councillor for the Manukau ward (2016-2022), the late Efeso Collins stood for election as a Labour Party candidate, but he voted against some initiatives of the Mayor Phil Goff, a former leader of the Labour Party. Communities and Residents (C&R) councillors have mostly been aligned with the National Party, but have also included ACT and unaffiliated centre-right candidates. While they often voted against Goff, and earlier against Labour Party member Len Brown (mayor from 2010-2016), it wasn't always as a uniform block. Indeed, Brown's initiatives were simultaneously opposed by Cathy Casey (City Vision) on the left and Cameron Brewer (C&R) on the right. As this year's local elections approach, the Crown Observer for Wellington City Council, Lindsay McKenzie, has written candidate guidelines about political affiliations and their legal obligations to avoid predetermined positions. These cover the promises they make on the campaign trail as well as how they act once elected. They address the tension between the democratic act of signalling your values and policy positions to voters, and the requirement under the Local Government Act to make decisions based on local concerns rather than political affiliation. As McKenzie points out, having an open mind is not just an issue for party members. It also applies to those who stand as independents and adhere rigidly to policy positions they campaigned on. Irrespective of their affiliation, candidates in the upcoming local elections have a tightrope to walk - between declaring their values and policy positions, and being receptive to new information and perspectives once elected. Voters need to accept elected members may have access to information that was not available when they were campaigning. And the political media needs to give some leeway to councillors and mayors who change their positions.
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
More NZers oppose govt's pay equity changes: Poll
money employment 25 minutes ago A new poll shows more New Zealanders oppose rather than favour the government's pay equity shakeup, with a clear majority saying the public should have been consulted first. Independent pay equity expert and consultant Amy Ross spoke to Charlotte Cook.
Scoop
4 hours ago
- Scoop
Andrew Little And Regional Council Candidates To Deliver Cheaper Public Transport
Cap on bus and train fares to lower household costs and increase uptake Commitment to advocate for change in Government policy to make public transport more affordable Wellington Mayoral candidate Andrew Little and Labour's Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) candidates Daran Ponter and Tom James have today released a joint policy to reduce the cost of public transport. Under the weekly fare cap, public transport users will pay for a maximum of eight trips per week, with any additional trips free. This means if someone commutes to work four days over the course of a week, the fifth day and any weekend trips will be free. Andrew Little said: 'For many Wellingtonians, transport is a significant cost. A weekly cap on bus and train fares will help to lower the cost of living, reduce congestion and increase public transport usage and reliability. 'This is a commonsense, affordable policy where if someone takes eight trips in a week, the rest are free. This fare cap will make a small but material difference to people's back pockets, with a regular commuter from Strathmore into the city saving over $400 a year. 'Central government also has a significant role to play in making public transport affordable and reliable. If elected, I will work alongside the regional council to advocate for the government to ease up on its requirement for increased private charges on public transport.' Daran Ponter said: 'As Chair of GWRC, I have worked hard to continue to grow ridership to reduce congestion and lower our city's emissions. This policy will mean an additional 300,000 trips on our buses and trains, helping to unlock our city. 'I have a proven track record of working with central government and my fellow councillors to deliver more buses to more places and securing funding for better rail services. I look forward to working with Andrew as Mayor to deliver this cost of living relief in the next term of local government.' First-time GWRC candidate Tom James said: 'I'm standing for regional council because I want to get more people on buses and trains, lower costs for families, and reduce emissions. A fare cap does all three and is affordable for ratepayers.' The policy also includes a commitment to investigate other measures to improve affordability. These include encouraging workplace subsidies for staff to travel by public transport, modelled on Auckland Transport's successful Fareshare scheme, as well as looking into targeted off-peak fares (for example on Mondays or Fridays) as has been done in Sydney to encourage travel at times when public transport is underutilised.
