With the soon-to-be local government juggernaut – known as Auckland Council – heading full steam ahead towards becoming a super city on November 1, it appears as though every weird and wonderful sector of the community is complaining about the new council’s structure.
The vast new super city - stretching from Franklin to Rodney - will consist of one mayor elected by everyone right across the region and 20 councillors elected from 12 wards throughout the region. The structure will also include 21 local boards to represent the different communities that make up greater Auckland.
However, ever since the restructure of Auckland’s local government was mooted – and especially since it has got underway – there has been a cacophony of protest, whining, complaining, grumbling and general nitpicking.
This has been led by the usual suspects – those outspoken groups and people with vested interests who think they know best and always oppose any change. This eclectic group includes – and in no particular order – everyone from the Labour Party (despite being in Government and starting the whole process), the Green Party (who hate any sort of change, unless it is banning fizzy drinks or legalising dope), a wide range of current mayors and councillors (most whom will be out of power and a cushy job come November 1), as well as the usual collection of anti-everything campaigners stretching from Maori activists to the usual anti-establishment, business, globalisation hippies, students, unemployables and other and soap-dodgers left over from the 1960s
However, one of the more unusual groups – ironically – to ‘come out’ against the new super city is the gay community. According to gay member of the current Western Bays Community Board, Bruce Kilmister, the GLBT (that is Gay and Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender to the uninitiated) community will be worse off under the new super city structure.
"The new arrangement is splitting off a lot of authority to Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs) which will work on a commercial basis. It could be very difficult to get a hold of someone who can do anything."
But just how this is going to affect – negatively or otherwise – Auckland’s gay community has me somewhat confused and dumbfounded.
Long-time representative in Auckland local politics Lindsey Rea agrees everything will flow from the political make-up of the council. She says it will be more important than ever to have councillors who back the gay community.
Now call me old fashioned, but shouldn’t the new Auckland Council represent the best interests all Aucklanders and not be tied down to worrying about pleasing the whims of every special interest group and lobby in the city? Is this not what a proper democracy is all about?
Correct me if I am wrong, but was it not this ideal about the Auckland Council being for all Aucklanders – no matter their race, religion, colour, creed or sexual orientation – that led to the decision of not having separate Maori seats on the council?
I mean if we want the new Auckland Council to get bogged down to pandering to special interests why should it just stop with the gay community?
What about fat people? How about spastics in wheelchairs? Or left handed people?
And what about right handed people?
No doubt, former ballroom dancers (which may or may not include many GLBT members) could also put up a powerful case for special consideration.
At risk of being labelled a gay-basher, I don’t believe Auckland’s fairies are that vital to the future of the region to garner special consideration from the new council – as opposed to city’s other ferries, which are actually really important to the city’s transport plans and should be a focus for the new transport CCO.
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