Local government review recommends ending equality of suffrage

The Government appointed review of local government has come up with stuff which seems mainly about making local government less democratic. Their recommendations include:

• mana whenua appointments to Councils to “supplement” elected members
• Pay rises for Councillors
• Forcing STV on all Councils even where residents have overwhelmingly voted against it

Make no mistake – this is about ending equality of suffrage in New Zealand. They even denounce the concept of one person, one vote as reported in the Herald:

Panel chairman Jim Palmer said while Māori wards were valuable, mana whenua appointees were a recognition of the special place in New Zealand of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which allowed for the greater involvement of iwi and hapū in local decision-making.

“We think it’s a more nuanced conversation than just ‘one person, one vote’,” Palmer said.

One person, one vote, is equality of suffrage. It is a fundamental human right enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We should no more have a conversation around ending it, than we should have a conversation about whether women should have the vote.