An incompetent bill

Stuff reports:

A bill trying to force an immediate return to democracy at Environment Canterbury (ECan) will go before Parliament.

It comes less than 48 hours after the Government appointed six councillors to the regional council.

The Environment Canterbury (Democracy Restoration) Amendment Bill was drawn from the ceremonial biscuit tin on Thursday.

The amendment bill was authored by Labour MP Dr Megan Woods, and would force a full ECan election if passed.

It does not say whether the recently-elected councillors would lose their positions. Such specifics would be worked out during the select committee process, if it passed its first reading.

Woods said her preference was for the elected councillors to stay, with elections only for the appointed positions in newly-drawn up constituencies.

I’m not sure the bill will even make a first reading because it is now a nonsense. Lazy Labour didn’t even bother to update their bill.

The bill is here. It says:

This Act amends the Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Act 2010 (the principal Act). …

The commissioners shall immediately instruct the electoral officer under section 8 of the Local Electoral Act 2001 to hold a special general election for Environment Canterbury.

The problem for Woods and Labour is there are no more Commissioners and the Act they are trying to amend is no longer in effect. Total incompetence. They could have updated their bill during the last year, but failed to do so.

The Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Act 2010 has been superseded by the Environment Canterbury (Transitional Governance Arrangements) Act 2016.

There are no commissioners anymore. They can not instruct anyone. The bill should be tossed aside on the basis it is amending the wrong Act.