LETTER: Don't vote | Auckland Opinion | Local Voices from Auckland, New Zealand

In a few weeks we are being asked to vote in an election to form an Auckland super-city. I believe that this model, which has been thrust upon us by Rodney Hide and the National Government, is neither needed or wanted by most ratepayers.
Before 1989 all of the greater Auckland area was split into small boroughs. These had given great service to their ratepayers for about 100 years and were completely responsive to their ratepayers' wishes and very cost-effective. Rates collected by these councils was spent only in their area.
In 1989 the Labour Government decided against the wishes of all ratepayers to force these small, responsive councils to amalgamate into large, unmanageable and unresponsive city councils. These failed to deliver the promised savings and created ever-increasing cost with spiralling out-of-control rates. This created a situation whereby the cost of running the office alone was 110 per cent of the collected rates. To make up this shortfall loans plus extra taxes were introduced such as user pay and increased water and sewage charges.
So once again this Government is forcing onto defenceless ratepayers a new unworkable and unresponsive super-city council model.
So what to do? I made a submission to return to the former workable borough council model. I marched up Queen St with about 3000 others but their agenda did not change. The only protest that will be noticed is if the majority of Auckland's ratepayers refuse to take part in this election by not voting.
If voters show by this action that they don't support this super-city model, the Government will have to listen to the wishes of the long-suffering ratepayers.
Des Fox
Arkles Bay