In the blue corner

There is no doubt that New Zealand’s democratic system is not perfect. However, there is no system in the world that is nor will there ever be.

Every three years when constituents of electorates or ratepayers within their council boundaries vote for their representative, they do so knowing that the person they collectively choose will be in power for three years.

It is a feature of a functioning democracy like ours that voters give their decision-making powers to elected officials for three years.

There have been a number of people who are critical of the way that politicians behave or the decisions they make – but they have their chance to remove them from office through the polling booths.

The idea of creating a law that would mean elected officials could be removed from office before their tenure expired would create more problems than it is trying to solve. For instance, who would decide that an elected official should be removed from office? It would seriously undermine our democracy and create a dysfunctional system where little would get done. The key to solving issues like these is simple: voter turnout.

Local representatives are voted in by the people they aim to serve.

Despite the importance local bodies hold, local elections have traditionally had low turnouts – including our most recent elections last year.

I am aware that there are a number of Aucklanders upset about the performance of their mayor but only 31% of them bothered to vote last year.

To make meaningful change, it is vital that those who are eligible to vote in elections do so.

I have spoken to many people around New Zealand who voted for the Labour Party in 2020 and have since realised that they did not get what they bargained for – co-governance and Three Waters standing out for many. But this year, in October, there is an opportunity for New Zealanders to send a message by getting out to vote.

As with everything democracy has its flaws – but frankly the alternative is far scarier. That said, democratic systems like ours have stood the test of time.

I see no need to make brazen changes that will weaken us as a nation.

We should remember the famous words of one the greatest champions of democracy – Winston Churchill: ‘‘Democracy is the worst form of government – except for all the others that have been tried.’’