'We're not KPIs': Pacific and Māori politicians hit back at PM's speech

Following Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's address at Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) yesterday afternoon, Pacific and Māori local politicians have expressed concerns at both the tone and content of his speech.

The prime minister delivered a clear-cut message that his expectation for councils is that they focus on must-haves, not nice-to-haves, in alignment with his own government’s approach.

“Ratepayers are sick of the white elephants and non-delivery. So my challenge to all of you is to rein in the fantasies and get back to delivering the basics brilliantly,” he told the audience at the Tākina Wellington Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Tory Whanau speaking at LGNZ conference 2024 welcoming everyone. Photo / LDR Mary Afemata

Mayor Tory Whanau said she found the prime minister’s speech “quite shocking, actually”.

“I think that was the tone of the audience in the room. It's pretty clear he's running our country like a business, but we're not a business. We're a community of people who have people-related needs.

“We're not KPIs, and that's essentially how we're speaking. It's all about the dollar and the outcome. You can still do that, but if you're not going to prioritise things like culture and the environment, all of the stuff that sustains us, it's incredibly dangerous.”

Whanau added that Luxon’s approach will actually take councils “backwards”.

“So with the unravelling of the Māori wards, with the Treaty Principles Bill, and now removing culture, it's really concerning to me.”

Far North Mayor Moko Tepania outside the district council offices (LDR supplied)

Far North Mayor Moko Tepania said it wasn't surprising because it followed the rhetoric of the cuts the government has been bringing to its own departments and agencies.

“It was a little bit disheartening, if I'm being honest," he said.

"This was our prime minister's first local government conference with him as prime minister. So I would have expected this to be the launching platform for a really positive and constructive relationship going forward with our sector.

“Today fell a little bit flat for me because you felt like you were getting a growling saying that we're all a little bit useless and that he's going to make us have school report cards to make sure we're doing better.

"It was a little bit of a middle finger to local government as a sector where, man, if you're actually a part of the sector or involved in it, you will see amazing examples of excellence and community outcomes across every single bloody council in this country."

Pasifika councillors at LGNZ. From L-R Josiah Teokotai from South Waikato Council, Kayla Christansen from Rotorua Lakes Council, Lesa Bingley from Wainuiomata Community, Gabriel Tupou from Hutt Council. Photo / LDR Mary Afemata

Community Board Deputy Chair Lesa Bingley was also present. She said it was her first time hearing the PM speak in public.

The Samoan Tokelauan called Luxon’s address "disappointing” and said others in the room shared her sentiment.

“It felt quite abrasive, if that's the right word. And I say that because I know in these local government spaces, there are people working really, really hard to help our general community live with integrity. Having the basics for everybody, having self-respect in yourself and where you live and pride, that's why it was disappointing to me, the things he was saying.”

Whakatane District Councillor Toni Boynton responded to Luxon referring to burst water pipes was actually an example of something councils are actually working quite hard on.

“We all know that the funding model is broken, and we also know that local government has provided solutions for that to work with central government. I think one of the things about what he's said is being able to work together, that we have to work together, and that's good. But a lot of this stuff is, we've already gone through line by line."

Boynton added that they've been working hard to go through everything line by line and the changes addressed by Luxon will have an impact on all that work.

“We've just finished doing long-term plans. We've just signed off our long-term plans for the next 10 years. So, if these changes impact on all of that work, where we went, line by line, you know."

South Waikato District Councillor Josiah Teokotai is of Māori and Cook Island descent, and he said, “The government have definitely thrown us a curved ball today with the prime minister's announcement.”

“At the moment, with the way government are looking at things, with all the Pacific government agencies, it just looks like at the moment they're not a priority for this government. And it's kind of put us on the back foot because, you know, really we don't know what's happening.”

“Sometimes there's some reflections that we need to look back on. And I think for us, for South Waikato, we've just got to take it like a grain of salt and move forward.”

Kayla Christiansen is of Māori and Tongan descent and works for Te Tatau o Te Arawa who are the iwi partner to Rotorua Lakes Council.

“We ensure that the voice of our people and the perspective of our people are implemented in council’s plans, policies and processes.”

And when asked about the prime minister's address to LGNZ, Christiansen gave a more blunt summation.

“I think that there's always an approach that we can take that is kind and respects mana whenua and the people in the room and I don't think that occurred today.”