Larry Williams Drive

We need to talk about why we're persisting with having so many local body politicians. We clearly have too many positions, don't we? I mean, just look at how many people are winning their seats at the moment. The elections are this weekend - look at how many people are winning their seats without any elections, without anybody standing against them. With more than 200, that's 1 in every 7 council races. So Hurunui already has its mayor, even though the elections are this weekend. It's Marie Black, no one's standing against her. Manawatū already has its mayor, Michael Ford, no one's standing against him. There are more than 80 councillors who are already elected across the country, there are several on the Southland Regional Council already elected. Lower Hutt, Southland, Buller, Stratford, Marlborough councils, two of Auckland's councils already elected - unopposed - as well as 3 of Christchurch's. There are also empty seats that no one wants to fill in community boards in the Rotorua Lakes, New Plymouth