Openness and transparency in government are highly valued by the ratepayers of Auckland. It is not surprising then that people are concerned by the behaviour of the Auckland Council and its secretive conduct of council affairs.

Yesterday the council discussed its funding of the Maori Statutory Board in a closed session to ensure that there was no public scrutiny on it.

The MSB demanded $3.4 million from the ratepayers and threatened to take the Council to court – paid for again with ratepayer’s money – if the Council cut their funding. Good on those eight Councillors led by C&R leader Christine Fletcher for attempting to do the right thing by voting that this matter of huge public interest be conducted in public.

In reality, there is no place for unelected MSB members to be on council at all. The Auckland Council has no Treaty of Waitangi obligations. And even if it did the Treaty guaranteed Maori the same “rights and duties of citizenship” as all New Zealanders.

If New Zealand is to move ahead and not be just another failing Pacific island we need to treat all of our citizens as equals regardless of race.

Dick Quax

ENDS

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