Mahuta faces more challenges at home than abroad

Much initial attention on the new Cabinet focused on Nanaia Mahuta’s role as Foreign Affairs Minister. She has tough situations to negotiate — not least China bristling at our involvement with Five Eyes — but testing times also lie ahead in her Local Government portfolio.

High-profile Tauranga City mayor Tenby Powell quit after the council voted to bring in a Crown manager over disunity. Powell’s resignation speech called for commissioners to replace the council, claiming a “DNA of incompetence” needed to be “cauterised”. Mahuta was expecting to be briefed tomorrow.

During last month’s election, National declared a need to review Auckland Council, Judith Collins singling out Watercare and Auckland Transport for special attention. A leaked email from National’s Auckland Council spokeswoman Denise Lee scuttled the attempt to focus on the SuperCity’s apparent failings. But many Aucklanders would share Collins’ concerns.

Local government tumult isn’t new, but more visible in the information age. Emotions range from mistrust to full-blown anger at local bodies.

An Internal Affairs review found increasing problems with Invercargill City Council and said veteran mayor Tim Shadbolt was unable to fulfil his duties, a claim he dismisses. Wellington mayor Andy Foster is engaged in a heated dispute with several councillors after being photographed apparently helping protesters occupy disputed Shelly Bay land, the council had voted to pass on to developers.

One of the issues vexing many is the provision to establish Ma¯ori wards. Until recently only three local bodies had Ma¯ori wards — Wairoa District Council and Bay of Plenty and Waikato regional councils. Mahuta had expressed a wish to remove the requirement for public polls before wards can be established in the previous Government, but was apparently stymied by NZ First.

While the desire to improve tangata whenua representation is admirable, it’s questionable whether this will improve overall efficiency, particularly in councils already displaying post-Covid malfunction.

Mahuta has earned her place in Cabinet. Negotiating through the international tempests while steering councils into a better delivery of services would be an achievement indeed. —