Hi Friend,

Peter Williams here. In case you missed it, I was glad to see the Taxpayers’ Union taking up the issue of the Hastings Council appointing school kids onto council committees with full voting rights.

It’s beyond a joke. First, at the very time we need more adults around council tables, this council is literally appointing adolescents!

But it’s also the principle: unelected appointments are totally undemocratic. Appointments skew the numbers on the committees where most of the important council decisions are actually made.

This morning I called the Taxpayers' Union campaign team to ask precisely what they’re doing.

In classic Taxpayers’ Union form, they are tackling the substantive policy – as well as the political marketing. They’re about to do one of their firmly tongue-in-cheek stunts to embarrass the Mayor…

First the substantive. Have a read of this excellent letter that’s gone to the Hastings Mayor (I got the team to put it up onto the website here). They absolutely nail it on the head.

Second, is keeping the political and media heat on the politicians. I laughed out loud when the interns told me what is in store for later today.

Please keep this to yourself (they don’t want the Council to find out in advance) but later today, the Taxpayers’ Union has arranged for an enormous ‘unicorn themed’ children’s bouncy castle to be erected right outside the Hastings Mayor’s office!

Apparently, it’s the “new, more welcoming, Hastings Council chamber”.

After all, it’s not the kids who are at fault here – it’s the local Mayor and the Councillors who are acting like children and not taking their responsibilities seriously (despite a 19% rates hike this year).

As someone with a media background, I know it will keep the pressure on the Mayor and could well force her Council to do a U-turn.

Stunts like this one ensure the public finds out what’s going on and highlight the silliness of local councils.

Friend, I’ve just made a special donation over and above my monthly contribution to the Taxpayers’ Union. Will you join me?

I know that unless the Taxpayers’ Union take this on, we’ll soon have youth councils (and every other so-called ‘representative group’) also demanding seats around council tables across the country.

Join me in supporting this effort

Thanks for your time

Peter Williams
Former Broadcaster (and Former Taxpayers’ Union Board Member)

From: Jordan Williams
Date: Monday 30 September 2024 at 3:08PM 
Subject: URGENT: Local council now appointing unelected teenagers to vote alongside councillors 🚨

Hi Friend,

Did you see the news over the weekend? The Hastings District Council has appointed school children onto its committees to sit alongside and vote with elected councillors!

The Hastings Mayor used her casting vote to appoint members of the council's advisory "youth council" onto the council committees where most of the day-to-day council decisions are made.

I am emailing to ask for your support so we can urgently mount a campaign to force a U-turn.

Unless we act now, this will spread to councils across the country and allow left wing councillors to appoint kids who we all know will vote to spend more and more on 'nice to haves'. 

Most would support young people taking an interest in politics, and maybe even sitting as observers on some council committees. But giving school children decision-making powers as full voting (and paid) members is a step too far. Even important decisions such as long term plans, rates, bylaws and zoning decisions are often delegated to council committees.

In appointing unelected teenagers to council committees, the Hastings Mayor has changed the voting balance around the council table. It will ensure she can drive through her big spending policy agenda.

This 'screwing the scrum' needs to be stopped. And if the Taxpayers' Union don't call it out, who will?

At the very time we need local government leaders to grow up, they are literally appointing children 👶

Last year we successfully beat back an outrageous attempt by the Hipkins Government to give 16-year-olds the vote for local councils in the dying days of that Parliament.

Now, the Mayor of Hastings (using her casting vote!) has decided to do one better: just appoint school-aged kids to vote alongside councillors. 

Friend, mark my words – if this is allowed to take hold in Hastings, kids on councils will soon spread across the country. 

That's why we need to nip this in the bud RIGHT NOW.

The Council didn't publicly consult on the proposal (according to one of the councillors we've spoken to, the Mayor gave her colleagues only two days' notice that the motion was to be tabled) and one of the councillors opposing was on leave and couldn't be there to vote!

There's also the precedent that, when exercising a casting vote, the Mayor should have deferred to the status quo – especially on matters that affect the voting make up of the Council.

We think there are numerous options for our lawyers to look at judicial review and for the High Court to overturn the decision.

But none of that will be possible without your support.

Unelected iwi reps, youth reps, what's next? 👀

If councils start having kids school-aged 'youth councillors' voting, the precedent is set for any number of other so-called 'representative groups' to also be elected appointed.

We only need to look at Maori wards, where self-interested politicians have tried to sneak them in without referenda and boost left-wing voting majorities.

Having kids voting at the Council table on things like bylaws, asset procurement, budgets and rates, is a recipe for even more to go wrong. And we all know young people (who haven't even paid rent yet – let alone seen a rates bill!) won't be voting against the 'nice to haves', will they?

Friend, based on the hundreds of emails I have received since this decision, local ratepayers don't support the Mayor's decision. I know that if we put together a quick response and high-impact campaign, we can force the Council to overturn this anti-democratic decision.

But to launch a campaign we are counting on your support.

We can't book the adverts, or engage lawyers until we know we can pay for it. Please chip-in so we can put a stop to school kids holding the council purse strings before this spreads to other councils

Underage, unelected school kids are inherently vulnerable to influence from the officials, Mayor, and Councillors. This is not how we improve the governance of our local town halls! 

Kids should not be literally paid to skip school to tell grown-up councillors (who have actually paid rent, and seen a rates bill) what they should buy for them to make their lives nicer.

We need to make this decision a national issue, expose the misuse of power, and ultimately protect democratic integrity, and if we can't force the Hastings Mayor to see sense, ensure the Government steps in.

>> Rush a secure donation <<

Thank you for your support.

Jordan Williams Executive Director New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union.

Ps. The campaign team are contacting the newspapers and local billboard companies about last minute advertising for this weekend and early next week.  But we can’t book anything until we know what funds we have available. Please click here to make a secure donation.