October 14, 2013
Samuels out to get NRC from ivory tower
Former Labour cabinet minister Dover Samuels says fixing the voting system is one of the tasks he’s setting himself as a Northland Regional Councillor.
Mr Samuels says the election which returned him to the job he had before entering parliament was a shocker for Maori, with few Maori around the country elected and low voter participation.
He says postal voting isn’t working, and it’s time to return to polling booths or try new methods like online voting.
Mr Samuels says he will also review progress made towards local government restructuring in the north and demand that it be subject to referendum.
"The other thing I want to do is bring the council back to its core business of looking after our coasts, our rivers, our bush and our natural resources and bring the council to the people. Rather than having these meetings, the same as central government, in ivory towers in Whangarei, start bringing the council back to the people they are supposed to represent, have your meetings in the satellite areas. It’s a big deal for people who can’t get to Whangarei. It’s time the mountain came to Mohammed, not Mohammed to the mountain, " he says.
Copyright © 2013, UMA Broadcasting Ltd