Selwyn Councillors Divided Over Voting Rights for Unelected Members

Only one councillor opposed the Selwyn District Council's plan to apply for voting rights exemptions, a decision that now faces a formal vote on November 11.

Ellesmere Ward councillor Elizabeth Mundt cast the dissenting vote at a recent meeting. She is currently campaigning for New Zealand First in the Selwyn seat ahead of the general election scheduled for Saturday.

The government has introduced a policy that removes voting rights from unelected representatives on local government bodies. The new rules take effect in March. Local councils must submit any requests for exemptions before November 18.

Mundt argued that the central government intended to strip non-elected members from committees entirely. She stated that applying for an exemption went against that directive. "I just think that we’ve had an indication from central Government to remove non-elected members from committees, and what we are asking to do is go completely against that directive," she said.

Mayor Lydia Gliddon and chief executive Steve Gibling supported the application. Gliddon noted that the government explicitly offered the exemption pathway. "That’s your viewpoint; they have asked us to apply for exemptions if we so wish to, so I don’t think they would have put that pathway forward if they didn’t intend to have it," Gliddon said. She added that there is no guarantee the application will be approved.

If the new rules apply without an exemption, independent chair Bruce Gemmell and member Carol Bellette will lose voting rights on the audit and risk subcommittee. Puamiria Parata-Goodall, the Te Taumutu Rūnanga mana whenua representative, will also lose voting rights on council committees. Parata-Goodall currently lacks voting rights at full council meetings.

Mundt told the Selwyn Times her council decision was "absolutely not" influenced by her party candidacy. She said she keeps her decision-making separate from her campaign. "Decision-making over the finances of council should be left to those who were elected to represent the community voice," she said. Councillor Samuel Wilshire asked the legal team to review the legislation to confirm if an exemption is actually required. "I don’t want to ask for permission for something that we’ve already got permission for; otherwise, it is raising a head to be smacked," Wilshire said.