Kaipara councillor Mark Vincent said he's getting used to the idea of feeling embarrassed about being a local politician in "an increasingly Mickey Mouse" local government organisation. Photo: LDR / Susan Botting
A Kaipara councillor is wearing Mickey Mouse T-shirts at council meetings over what he says is "the worrying state of democracy" in his political organisation.
Councillor Mark Vincent, from Whakapirau, said democracy was fading at Kaipara District Council and it was fast becoming the "black sheep" of councils.
"I am learning to overcome my embarrassment about being a Kaipara District councillor. I'm part of an increasingly Mickey Mouse outfit."
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Vincent claimed the community had fewer opportunities to take part in the council's key decisions.
Mayor Craig Jepson said he did not accept these comments. People were not being left out of decision making and council followed its standing orders for meeting procedures, the mayor said.
Jepson said Vincent's comments were no more than those of a councillor who wanted to become the mayor at the local elections next year.
However, Vincent said he had no interest in being mayor.
The second-term councillor started wearing a Mickey Mouse T-shirt to council meetings in May and said he would continue to do so for the remaining council term.
Mickey Mouse says it all for Kaipara councillor Mark Vincent's council meeting attire. Photo: LDR / Susan Botting
A 'divided' council?
Raised voices had almost become the norm and conflict was poorly managed in an increasingly polarised council, Vincent said.
"There are increasingly polarised views around the council table, that polarisation clearly highlighted as a concern in the council's latest residents' satisfaction survey.
"At present, under the mayor's leadership we have a divided council."
Jepson said strong leadership was at times about making decisions such as canning the karakia at the start and end of council meetings, which were not always popular. This could polarise people.
Meeting conflict was managed as well as it could be in the circumstances, he said.
Vincent said councillors had been increasingly forced into making uninformed decisions based on last-minute interceptions by the mayor. The interceptions were not signalled to all councillors before the meeting and typically significantly changed the direction of discussions away from the agenda, he said.
In response, Jepson said his council moved promptly on issues as they came up and this could mean new information came to hand after the agenda had been put together.
Kaipara Mayor Craig Jepson. Photo: Northern Advocate / Michael Cunningham
Council decision making was not simply about councillors rubber stamping agenda items' staff reports and their recommendations.
"Otherwise we might as well leave the running of the council to staff and all go home," he said.
Jepson also pointed to the fact the council was ahead of the pack with 2024/2025 rates rises. The council had a rates increase of just under 9 percent this year, compared with the New Zealand average of 14 percent, he said.
Strong leadership was at times about making decisions such as canning the karakia at the start and end of council meetings, which were not always popular. This could polarise people, Jepson said.
Decision to abolish Māori wards
On 7 August, Kaipara District Council became the only New Zealand council to can its Māori ward, doing so without polling its people, as allowed under a law change made on 1 August.
Jepson said he had been elected with a clear majority which supported his views and the way his council was being governed as a result.
Those who wanted to seek to bring in a Māori ward, with polling, were free to do so further down the track, he said.
But Vincent said the council's decision to abolish its Te Moananui o Kaipara Māori Ward was an example of the council's fading democracy as residents weren't polled.
Kaipara councillor Mark Vincent will continue wearing his Mickey Mouse T-shirt to council meetings, to express his thoughts about how he sees the health of the council's democracy. Photo: LDR / Susan Botting
The people of Kaipara, Māori in particular, were no longer getting the sort of say in the council democracy that the mayor had said was critical, Vincent said.
The council also terminated formal relationship agreements with its two local iwi in September.
However, Jepson said Vincent had not been at consultation meetings the council held with local iwi, ahead of this, so could not comment.
'Black sheep council'
Kaipara District Council pulled out the national sector representation group Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) in May 2023, seven months after Jepson was elected - one of only six councils of 78 to have now done so.
"We're fast becoming the black sheep council," Vincent said.
Jepson said his council had pulled out of LGNZ because it was a leftover from the "left-wing woke world" of the previous government.
LGNZ chairperson Sam Broughton said in response that was not the case regarding his organisation having political leanings.
He said LGNZ had been around since 1989, therefore over the ensuing years had worked with many different governments. It would continue to do so into the future.
LGNZ looked forward to having a relationship with Kaipara District Council, Broughton said.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.