LOCAL ISSUES DESERVE LOCAL RESPONSES FROM LOCAL LEADERS

So who is a local? Is it someone who lives in your village, community council, council area or Northland?

How long before you become a local? Months, years or only from birth?

Depends on the issue, I think. Why is this interesting?

Well, we’ve developed the habit of thinking that experts must come from somewhere else.

I’ve always believed that the people who will fix some problem are the people who own the problem, and the locals are the ones best placed to own, understand and fix things.

My definition of a local is one who is wholly committed to the community that is affected by the discussion, whether it’s small and very local or district wide.

A real local has put the time in to know the community, helped with sports, kids, schools, housing, clubs and businesses. This takes time. While I welcome recent arrivals, I expect them to know and respect the way we do things. Understand that our communities are growing and changing and they’re not to be set in concrete forever to be exactly the way they were on the day that person arrived.

We need to develop our own skills here to use for the benefit of our people and to pass them on within our communities.

Look at the recent appointment of yet another out of towner to join the rest on the board of Top Energy. This board should be dominated by locals. The consumer trust together with our MPs carried out what they called a robust process to find trustees and directors for Top Energy (which we all own) yet they couldn’t find any locals capable. Yeah right! Lotto winners are chosen by a robust process!

The same week that Top Energy couldn’t find anyone here capable, I was approached to be deputy chair of Transpower, sort of like Top Energy only 20 times bigger. And there are plenty of others up here capable of directing Top Energy or at least learning how to. Right now we should decide that unless absolutely impossible all of our Far North entities need to be lead by locals. That goes for council LATEs, like Far North Holdings, Top Energy and all the development committees, Tourism boards and so on. If our rates are to be used for these things then spend it with the best locals.

At least they care and we can get to them when they get it wrong.