LOCAL BODY ELECTIONS
DEMOCRACY DENIED
Q. How come any city councillor is able to completely ignore a ratepayer? In total contravention of their sworn oaths to do the opposite?
Oaths to uphold and facilitate rate payers, regardless of personal considerations, to help ratepayers/citizens understand and access the democratic process?
If I am correct, it is the Mayors job (legal obligation) as ‘chief councillor’ to oversee councillors, to make sure that what he and all councillors do is lawful, procedurally correct, in line with protocols and their sworn duty as elected representatives in respect of serving rate payers needs and issues without judgement and that is not happening then something is very very wrong with democracy in Upper Hutt.
Q. So who’s not doing their job?
How come the Mayor has not done his job, as we understand it, in guiding the councillors in their sworn legal obligations to rate payers. How has he allowed our councillors to be derelict in their duty to us?
Did the Mayor not tell them their obligations as elected representatives to rate payers?
Did the Mayor instruct them regarding their obligations to us and in this instance they chose to ignore them?
Did the Mayor instruct them to ignore me?
That six (6) sworn representatives ignored me at the same time leaves me no choice but to conclude that it was a deliberate attempt to deny me my rights to democracy!
Q. How many others have been shut down, shut out, by this Mayor and Council?
How successful has this strategy been over the years of the Incumbent Mayors reign, that they were confident as a group, that this was the tactic to employ to deny me or anybody else democracy?
Whatever the answer is, each of them is responsible for their own choices, but the final overarching responsibility always comes back to the Mayor.
Poll: 🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
The Reserve Bank has shared some pretty blunt advice: there’s no such thing as a “safe” job anymore 🛟😑
Robots are stepping into repetitive roles in factories, plants and warehouses. AI is taking care of the admin tasks that once filled many mid-level office jobs.
We want to know: As the world evolves, what skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
Want to read more? The Press has you covered!
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52.7% Human-centred experience and communication
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14.4% Critical thinking
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30% Resilience and adaptability
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2.9% Other - I will share below!
Brain Teaser of the Day 🧠✨ Can You Solve It? 🤔💬
Make a hearty dish. Take just half a minute. Add four parts of kestrel. Then just add one. What have you made?
(Trev from Silverdale kindly provided this head-scratcher ... thanks, Trev!)
Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm on the day!
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Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!
Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
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