‘Toxic and nasty’ turn in Tasman under weight of Government reform – Stuff.co.nz

Conversations in the community have turned toxic and nasty as people grapple with the pace, complexity and combination of Government reforms, says Tasman District mayor Tim King.

Public meetings that used to be relatively good-humoured and constructive are not because people feel uncertain, unsure, concerned, afraid, said King, whos been an elected member for more than 20 years.

His comments came at a full Tasman District Council meeting on Thursday as the Governments three waters reform programme was under discussion. Both King and Golden Bay ward councillor Chris Hill mentioned some anti-government feeling within the community.

I think, it's driven by the conflation or the combination of everything that's going on, King said. The amount of reform, the fundamental nature of much of it, the limited engagement that people feel in any of it, combined together I think, is what's driving a genuine concern.

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Tasman District mayor Tim King, who has been in local government for more than 20 years, says public meetings that used to be relatively good-humoured and constructive are no longer that way.

King said he had raised the matter with Nelson MP Rachel Boyack and West Coast-Tasman MP Damien OConnor that the conversations we are having are not getting better, they're getting worse.

They're becoming more polarised, they're more vindictive, they're more challenging, King said. I think, all of those things are playing into a narrative that is really, really unhealthy and the rationale and the reason that some people don't like this reform.

So much was being done so fast, people feel massively disengaged or not listened to or don't really genuinely have the opportunity to understand some of the questions they're being asked.

That is a real concern, King said.

As well as the three waters shake-up, there was local government reform and replacement legislation for the Resource Management Act. There was also the Essential Freshwater package along with policy work on landscapes and significant natural areas.

You name it, there is so much going on.

King said his single biggest concern was related to the conversations that elected members and council staff would be having in the community because, let's face it, it will be us it's not going to be central Government.

They're not going to be out there having these conversations, running consultation meetings, appearing at halls in St Arnaud and Murchison that will be us and our staff, and those meetings are increasingly becoming not something that you look forward to, King said. In my view, that's a tragedy.

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Murchison, which may come under a different water entity to the rest of Tasman District under the preferred boundaries in the Governments three waters reform programme.

The council had spent the past 30 years working really constructively with the community on issues such as wetlands management.

To have that put at risk because of the pace, the complexity and the combination of all the reform and having these conversations turn so toxic and nasty, it really does ... drive me insane, King said.

OConnor on Friday told the Nelson Mail he accepted there was a lot happening and the speed was rapid for some.

But, I think, the wider view is: it has to happen, he said.

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West Coast-Tasman MP and Cabinet Minister Damien OConnor says the Government is trying to work with councils on the reforms.

Central Government had to step in with solutions to ensure, for instance, that people had safe drinking water and could swim in the waterways because of erratic implementation of measures by councils over many years.

These things need to be addressed, OConnor said. Were trying to work with councils on this.

Some concerns raised with him in the community related to matters that were council responsibilities.

You cant shift all the blame onto central Government, OConnor said. We both have roles to play and pointing the finger is not entirely helpful.

Boyack acknowledged there was a lot of change, but she was not hearing toxic conversations in the Nelson electorate.

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Nelson MP Rachel Boyack, left, pictured with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, says that rather than engaging in toxic conversations, constructive ways forward need to be found.

There were many good stories, in the horticultural industry in particular. Despite challenges, such as weather events and getting access to staff, many businesses had a lot of really positive stories to tell such as adjusting their practices to employ more New Zealanders.

Boyack said she believed that as leaders in the community, central and local government politicians need to be showing positive vision for our region and our economy.

Rather than engaging in toxic conversations, we need to find constructive ways forward, she said.

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Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern talks about local government reform during a visit to Nelson. Video first published on June 3, 2021.

Local government had a lot on its plate, so were [central Government] actively working alongside them.

Its important were working in a partnership, Boyack said.

Central Government had provided significant investment towards freshwater improvements and was working closely with councils and Local Government New Zealand on the three waters programme. The significant natural areas were a long-running matter while the local government reform was sparked by a request for a review from the sector itself.

We have heard and responded to a request for us to do that review, Boyack said.

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'Toxic and nasty' turn in Tasman under weight of Government reform - Stuff.co.nz