Engaging with issue of disengagement
The recent death of Cr Jules Radich was a huge loss to Dunedin. He was widely respected for his integrity, experience and service to our city.
As we move towards a by-election to fill his seat, it is worth reflecting on a deeper issue facing local democracy.
Voter turnout in Dunedin’s last local body election was just 47.3%. A by-election will almost certainly attract far fewer voters still.
That should concern us all.
Why are people disengaging? I believe three reasons stand out.
First, many feel their vote makes little difference once councillors are elected.
Second, council decision-making can appear distant, complex and opaque to the average citizen.
Third, there is a growing sense that ordinary people are simply not heard or considered after elections.
If we accept that diagnosis, perhaps it is time to try something different?
What if a candidate committed to being a true councillor of the people — not just in rhetoric, but in practice? Someone who would clearly summarise major issues before council, share their own view openly, but then invite those who supported them to vote on the issues that genuinely matter and be bound by that democratic outcome.
This need not apply to every single operational decision, just the significant ones as to not slow or impact council processes. This approach would bring transparency, accountability and public involvement back into the major decisions that shape our city.
Regular ongoing public meetings with that councillor would further connect the people with the representative.
If democracy is to mean more than a ballot every three years, we must find ways to re-engage a sceptical and increasingly silent majority. Perhaps the greatest risk is not trying something new, but continuing to accept disengagement as inevitable.
Outrageous fortune
The mock outrage — "damn ugly" — of West Harbour Community Board chairman, Jarrod Hodson, in opposition to the trial closure of a section of the Town Belt, (ODT 29.1.26) has distinct echoes of the vehement opposition mounted to DCC’s earlier moves in favour of pedestrians — notably the ambitious redesign of inner-city George St.
We can all recall how the doomsayers claimed the project would be the death-knell for retail activity in that part of the city. Where are those voices now? Everyone has adapted and it doesn’t appear anybody now supports a return to the "car-friendly" days of yore.
As one who has previously made daily use of the stretch of road affected by the trial in order to drive into town, the alleged inconvenience is nominal and more than compensated for by the pleasure of walking through a part of the Town Belt where previously a not-infrequent number of wayward motorists would contest the narrow stretch of road with other motorists endangering both young and old pedestrians alike.
Aw shucks
I would like to give some feedback from some of my Cantabrian whānau.
We recently had a whānau bereavement and a few of us Dunedinites travelled to Christchurch for the ceremony last week.
We stayed a couple of nights in Amberley with family and more family from Temuka arrived for a night’s stay. So, it turns out, they are all avid Otago Daily Times readers.
Fabulous accolades for the regional news and how this section is particularly superior to their local paper. They expressed value for money and amazing writing and they’ve been avid readers for a very long time.
If mines are OK, give Lake Onslow a fair go
New Zealand First MP Mark Patterson is enthusiastic about the regional and national economic opportunities of the proposed Bendigo goldmine (Opinion ODT 2.2.26).
However, that proposal could soon be joined in the fast-track process by another major Central Otago project — the Lake Onslow pumped storage scheme.
Both projects offer significant employment but also have local environmental impacts. It is hard to see the respective expert panels not taking each other into consideration. Central Otago does not need two simultaneous impactful projects for the economic betterment of the region and the nation.
Should Bendigo mining be given preference just because it is mining?
Mark Patterson lists factors to be considered for the Bendigo mine: What is the actual economic opportunity? What are the environmental impacts? What are the mitigations being put in place, and what science and engineering underpins them?
The Lake Onslow scheme should be judged similarly.
Address Letters to the Editor to: Otago Daily Times, PO Box 517, 52-56 Lower Stuart St, Dunedin. Email: letters@odt.co.nz
