Hi Friend 

It's no exaggeration to say that local government is in crisis. Up and down New Zealand, councils are trying to stiff ratepayers with hikes of 10, 15, and even 20 percent this year alone.

Meet Grace Ayling: former Taxpayers' Union staffer, now district councillor

Around the country there are some elected officials who are on the ratepayers' side: asking the tough questions of officials, and determined to deliver rate increases no higher than is absolutely necessary.

One of those centre-right councillors is our former Grassroots and Engagement Coordinator, Grace Ayling.

After leaving the Taxpayers' Union to become a mum, Grace stood for her local Wairarapa council, in Carterton.

Grace was elected to the Council on a platform of stopping wasteful spending, such as the huge amounts the small rural council was pumping into cycleways that barely anyone was using. As a young family just starting off on the housing ladder, Grace wants her local council to focus on delivering core services and basic infrastructure well (don't we all!).

Not only was Grace elected, she walked the talk! Grace is known for respectfully challenging Council officials on spending, rates, (and, yes, cycle ways).

Earlier this month, Grace even made a submission on the Council's Long Term Plan (10-year budget). You can read her submission here – it is totally consistent with her election platform to seek value for money for ratepayers.

Council officials move to ban Grace from participating in council hearings...

It turns out, officials do not like being challenged by a councillor. Instead of allowing Grace to advocate her well known views (and fulfil on her election promises to advocate for prudent spending) the Council CEO and officials have mounted a campaign to exclude Grace from the council hearings that consider the Long Term Plan/10-year Budget.

...on the basis that she doesn't want higher rates 🤯

The officials claim that a councillor who had expressed views on rates is no longer 'independent' and has a conflict of interest in terms of decisions about rates and spending.

Yesterday, on the basis of "informal advice" from Local Government New Zealand, the Council kicked Grace out of the hearings committee (which every councillor usually sits on) because, in the Chair's view, Grace might not be able to accept other views with an open mind and is therefor 'conflicted'.

It wasn't even voted on by councillors (in and of itself a breach of the Council's standing orders). Officials just 'determined' that Grace had to leave. 

We say democracy is not a conflict of interest 🗳️

, we can all understand that for some decisions, such as Resource Management Act applications, or regulations, sometimes councils have to ensure they are quasi-judicial and independently-minded in their approach. 

But a Long Term Plan / 10-year Budget is by its very nature political! How can a democracy work when a politician expressing her views justifies officials in excluding her from the very decisions she was elected to advocate on?!

This sort of behaviour is just one reason why local Government is so broken. Join us in standing with Grace and challenging both Carterton District Council's CEO, and LGNZ's outrageous attempt to de-platform a councillor they don't like the views of.

Councillors are elected because voters know the position they'll take on key issues. Suggesting councillors are conflicted because they advocate for the same policies once elected that they promised to do before an election is patently ridiculous.

But unless we help Grace and push back, the left wing officials, LGNZ, and special interests will keep winning.

The double-standard: Only one side being targeted? 🤔

Friend, can you honestly tell me when a left-leaning councillor didn't have thoughts on say, rates increases, cycle paths or other vanity projects? Has anyone ever suggested excluding them?

Three years ago, at the very same Carterton District Council, the then-Mayor publicly campaigned in favour of cycle way spending. It was a key issue in that debate, and guess what: the Mayor had the casting vote!

Was there a fuss then? Of course not, because, erm, that's democracy...

We both know it's because Grace has the 'WRONG' views and has rocked the boat. Somehow that's now a disqualifier.

That's why , when I heard about what was happening, I asked Grace whether we could raise funds to (if necessary) legally challenge the Council/LGNZ to make the law clear: democracy is in charge, not the officials excluding politicians for daring to think differently.

Ensure we can push back against LGNZ and the left-wing bureaucracy 👊 

Friend – we have stood up for councillors who have been attacked by officials before – but excluding a councillor from participating and voting on the budget is next level. Will you join me in the corner of democracy so we can fight back?

>> Yes, I'll chip-in to The Democracy Defence Fund <<

This isn't about cycle paths, or just Carterton. This is about democracy – and we can only preserve it if we do this together. Across New Zealand we see centre-right councillors being bullied and 'put in their place'. It's time we fought back.

Will you fight for local democracy, Friend?

Thank you for your support.

Jordan Williams Executive Director New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union

ps. Like Three Waters, this is a legal fight as much as a political one, and requires your support. Your support means the Taxpayers' Union can mount a combined grassroots and legal effort to promote local democracy and advocate for more accountability in local government.