Hastings District Council: Unelected Representation Sparking Government Backlash

Hastings District Council has voted to place unelected, paid mana whenua representatives onto every council committee with full voting rights. The government told councils to hold off, but Hastings pushed ahead anyway. We speak to Councillor Steve Gibson about why he is fighting this decision, what it means for ratepayers, and whether Three Waters-style co-governance is slipping back in through local water entities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices