Govt labelled 'dictatorship' after kicking out elected reps

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Wed, 21 Apr 2010 7:18p.m.

Tomorrow the Canterbury Regional Council will have its last meeting before the councillors get booted out - councillors the people of Canterbury voted for.

They were booted out not by the people, but by the Government.

The council represents 550,000 people, covering about a seventh of the country. It stretches from Kaikoura in the north to Timaru in the south, and everywhere east of the Southern Alps - an area including 78,000km of rivers and almost 5000 lakes.

There was a fuss when the supercity was foisted on Auckland, with appointed people soon to be running services that were previously run by elected representatives; but in Canterbury, the elected representatives have already been given the boot.

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Comments

21 Jul 2010 10:11p.m.

Mani wrote:

They won't be the Govt 4 long

23 Apr 2010 11:49a.m.

Aurora wrote:

I am no disillusions about this govt, this IS a dictatorial govt, as proven a few times now since they got in. Notice how they always do the exact opposite of what they state are their core policies i.e. the tax hikes? They were "never" going to raise the taxes..now they are. We are under a dictatorship. They always do the opposite of what they claim.

23 Apr 2010 12:08a.m.

G Bavister wrote:

You National supporters astound me, you cant see past your your fat cheque books! can you!. Mark, since when did Helens govt ruin NZ?,, it didnt!. This blatant criminal act by the nats will come back to haunt them for many generations, and it will be a sad day for NZ if they become govt for another term, I seriously think NZ will be beyond repair if that happens. Q:When have business men ever been able to run a country properly? A:NEVER!

22 Apr 2010 06:54p.m.

Karen wrote:

NZ, ECAN and Democracy, a thing of the past. We have sanction's in place against Fiji because the guy in charge will not have democratic election's.
We the people, voted in ECAN, democracy working. The National Government has behaved no differently from Fiji, it does not suit there agenda, so like all good dictators they got rid of them.
Whether you agree or not with ECAN is irrelevant, what is at stake here is our right to vote and have that count. We have fought wars in other countries to protect this right. But apparently this no longer applies in New Zealand.

22 Apr 2010 06:22p.m.

mark wrote:

BIG MISTAKE ALL YOU NATIONAL VOTERS!
Get rid of these Nazi nats

Ha ! what joke that is. Remember why Helen and her corrupt looney left got dumped at the last election? Let me remind you 'She ruined this country'. And Phil on 5% popularity and John on 60 % popularity let me see now.. I think the Nats will win. The day the looney socialist get back is will be sad day for NZ.

22 Apr 2010 04:52p.m.

Paul Holland wrote:

This is a dark, dark day for democracy in Canterbury. No say but all pay. No right of return, not even under the Fair Trading Act. Does this signal a return to Muldoonism? Next it will it be Think Big? Are they going to build a power station on the Avon? More realistically will they dam the Waimakariri, Rakaia and Rangitata rivers? But to me most importantly, is by how much will the quality of our drinking water deteriorate? We don't have chemicals added to it yet; and why should we. What happens when the dairy boom bubble bursts big time? We will have lost our democracy and our water for what?

22 Apr 2010 01:50p.m.

R Blackmore wrote:

Going by recent iformation releases under the IOA it is evident the govnt had this in mind all along, well before the Creech Report. just another one of their hidden agendas! Many hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent by citizens if this country who followed legitimate processes to secure the Canterbury Water Conservation Orders and these are now under serious threat by this governments action which occurred "under urgency" and without the benefit of any democratic process.
Not only are the citizens of Canterbury furious and disenfrachised over this action but all of NZ is concerned. We may well be witnessing the beginning of the end of democracy in this country if the government is allowed to get away with this.
Nick Smith is quick to lay blame with Ecan but the RMA has been in place since 1991 and the National Government of the day failed dismally to follow through and provide all Regional Councils with appropriate guidelines and National priority statements to consistency of action by regions. The result is clearly evident with all RCs floundering but doing the best they can in the absence of government leadership.
Any citizen with a clear head can see where the buck must stop and it is NOT with Ecan or any other RC. All governments since 1991 have failed to provide the necessary leadership.

22 Apr 2010 12:14p.m.

john wrote:

There is no mandate for the xeistents of Ecan.
The people of northen North Otago, South Canterbury and Mid Canterbury did not want to be part of the Ecan area it was forces on them, and do not want to see it back.
They do want their democtatic rights back, but that is different than being dictated to by people how don't liver in the areas above, Greenes and the chirstchurch branch of the labour part.
So before you (Cambell) come to the aid of your antdenocatic leftwing comrades do some work on the history behind what has happened

22 Apr 2010 06:51a.m.

Lightseed wrote:

tee, labour is to blame because 10 councils were asking for them to step in and sort ECAN out, these same councils were on the verge of leaving ECAN and setting up another because of the problems within ECAN and because no one wasy willing to step in and sort it out. Really, unless you live in the area and know what we've been going through you should hold your comments to yourself.

22 Apr 2010 04:52a.m.

MrMan wrote:

Well I have been trying to say this for years only to be called a nutt job. We have never really had a true democratic government in New Zealand. Well not in the 28 years ive been alive. We have only had the illusion of a democracy because at the end of the day the New Zealand Government has agreements and arrangements with other global governing bodies. We will have no say in any thing because most of the decision made in New Zealand that we don’t like or attempt to refereed get ignored because these decisions are based on banking economics and not the benefit of the country its self and definitely not the people. Just remember this The Government knows what is best for us. The government will make all the decisions for us. Did you want prostitution legalized? Did you want the ability to discipline your child taken away? Wait for all the cameras… Thank you for waking up welcome to global dictatorship.