The Local Body ‘Stars’ Looking To Shine In Parliament (And Cost Ratepayers $$$)

Thursday, 5 October 2023, 10:00 am
Article: Scoop Election Podcast

The Scoop Election team tracked down the local body politicians who stood in 2022 promising to represent their communities until 2025 but are now looking to assist democracy as MPs in Parliament.

Local body politicians, from across the political spectrum, have magnanimously put their hand up twice in the last 12 months for election. Local body politics can be a great training ground for the PMC. The PMC in this case being the 'Professional Managerial Class' of careerist politicians rather than the Private Military Company associated with the Russian mercenary group PMC Wagner.

Tamatha Paul - Green Party Wellington Central Electorate Candidate

Tamatha Paul is probably the most high-profile local body politician looking to trade in her local body constituency for the Wellington Central electorate. This will involve attempting to get a large majority of the people who voted her in as a Councillor essentially voting her out of the Wellington City Council and into Parliament. The Green Party confirmed that if elected as an MP Ms Paul would resign as a Councillor. According to Stuff this would likely cost the ratepayers of Wellington up to 70 thousand dollars. Ms Paul is not on the Green Party list and so should she be unsuccessful in winning an exceptionally tight race between herself, Labour’s Ibrahim Omer, and National’s Scott Sheeran she would be able to see out her term as a Wellington Central Councillor.

Update: Stuff's suggested $70,000 figure may have been hit by inflation. The 2017 Southern Ward by-election resulting from Paul Eagle’s resignation from Council incurred costs of about $100,000. A theoretical ballpark cost of a by-election in the Pukehīnau/Lambton General Ward may be around $120,000 according to the Wellington City Council.

National’s Hamilton East Candidate - Ryan Hamilton

National’s Ryan Hamilton looks an even more certain bet than Tamatha Paul to become an MP in this year’s election. Mr Hamilton is running in what prior to 2020 was the reasonably safe Blue seat of Hamilton East. Hamilton local government’s loss of a (former?) passionate fluoridation opponent will be Parliament’s gain. As befitting a politician running for an allegedly fiscally responsible political party like National Councillor Hamilton has taken leave without pay for the last few months. This means while Councillor Hamilton is not doing any actual work for his constituents at least they aren’t paying him. When contacted a National media spokesperson confirmed Mr Hamilton would resign as a Councillor.

Update from the Hamilton City Council: There is a cost for running a by-election. The 2021 by-election for the East Ward cost $122,500 and an estimated cost for a 2023/24 East Ward by-election is $140,000. This cost did not include communication and engagement or staff time.

New Zealand First List Candidate - Jamie Arbuckle

New Zealand First list candidate Jamie Arbuckle looks certain on current polling to be an MP on October 14th. So long as New Zealand First breach the five percent threshold they will bring in at least 6 MPs. Councillor Arbuckle has bounced between local government and attempting to enter Parliament twice before. In both 2017 and 2020 he was on New Zealand First’s list. 2023 offers Councillor Arbuckle the best chance yet for making it out of Marlborough District local body politics. In a short statement for this article Councillor Arbuckle stated he intended to ‘remain as a councillor if elected to Parliament. The cost of a by-election is approximately 60-70K and that’s not a burden I want to place on ratepayers.’

Note: There is nothing in the Local Government Act 2002 or the Local Electoral Act 2001 that requires a local government elected member to resign from that position because they are a member of Parliament.

Christchurch East Labour Party Candidate - Reuben Davidson

The cost of a by election albeit a cheaper one is something Christchurch ratepayers look certain to pay when Lyttleton Community Board member Reuben Davidson tenders his resignation prior to the election. The Christchurch Star newspaper reported that Mr Davidson had stated he would resign before the election but when contacted in July the Star had still not set a firm date for his resignation. City council electoral officer Jo Daly told the Bay Harbour News the by-election to fill the Lyttleton Subdivision seat would cost about $35,000. This figure was confirmed as accurate by a Christchurch City Council media spokesperson to Scoop.

Labour Party Waiariki Electorate Candidate - Toni Boynton

Another Labour Party candidate Toni Boynton is serving as a Councillor on the Whakatane District Council, according to the biography on Labour’s website. Of the local body candidates looking to make the jump from local to national politics Ms Boynton’s leap looks to be the furthest. Rather than a quick hop across a small scenic stream Ms Boynton would have to make a Dukes of Hazzard style full throttle blast off in the General Lee to land as an MP in this Election. Ms Boynton’s opponent is Māori Party Co-Leader Rawiri Waititi who defeated Labour MP Tamati Coffey in 2020. This was quite an achievement for both men with Labour forming the first majority government in the MMP era and sweeping the other six Māori electorates.

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