Remember when Prime Minister Luxon and the National Party championed localism, advocating for local control over central government decisions? He pledged to halt this trend.
Instead, we have seen far more centralisation than we ever had under Labour, as the coalition government overrides local choices:
We have a Fast Track Bill that trashes decades of local opposition to mining on conservation land and our coast – no local say on damaging projects.
Numerous council-approved speed limit reductions have been reversed since 2020.
They are:-
• Mandating referendums for Māori wards, despite 33 councils including TCDC voting to introduce them.
• Cutting funding for walking and cycling projects in favour of roads.
• Rejecting Auckland Council’s regional fuel tax for transport infrastructure.
• Overriding local support to cancel the new Cook Straight ferries for the sake of landlord tax cuts; will be in the hall of fame of National’s economic vandalism.
These actions reveal a cynical disconnect between the government’s localism rhetoric and its practices. The government only supports local decision-making when it aligns with its policies.
