Listen Now: 
Download AudioA former local government minister says the low turnout at this year’s election is because people no longer feel a connection to the council.
Sandra Lee says the local has gone from local government, and many councils now seem to be run as businesses rather than organisations that represent and serve their communities.
“Councils have been allowed to grow too big, there has been too much amalgamation, councils seem to be very non-responsive for members of the public who live in communities, they all too often look the same in terms of political leadership and they are darn hard to get to and get at,” she says.
Ms Lee says Maori have always understood the power of local government because it was often the first battleground, but they didn’t feel they had a voice at the table.
She says as the minister who put Maori wards into the law, she’s thrilled at the number of young Maori now taking up the challenge.
RELATED NEWS
