Posted on 30-7-2004

Consensus Better For Auckland
Press release from Christine Fletcher

“People are turning away from participation in the democratic process
because of a sense that it makes no difference,” said Christine Fletcher,
on the occasion of a book launch in Auckland today.

Fletcher is among the contributors, along with former political colleagues
such as David Lange and Winston Peters, to a book promoting citizen
participation in the New Zealand democratic process. “There is a
perception that if you vote, you are buying into a dishonest system,”
commented Fletcher. “It’s only a generation or two ago that politicians
were respected and were expected to ‘serve the community’. Now, we have
obvious cronyism and significant disrespect for the political process as a
result.”

She said that such cronyism damages the credibility of the political
institutions themselves. “People are especially cynical toward political
parties, in particular at local government level. That’s the reason I
choose to stand as an independent,” said Fletcher. “The Mayor of Auckland
needs to be able to unite the city across increasingly wide fault lines
which have developed under the Banks administration," she said. “We need a
consensus on the way forward for Auckland, and you can’t achieve consensus
by bullying people. “I’m totally committed to changing people’s perception
of Auckland City so that they know they can be heard, that their views
will be given their proper weight. Real democracy means that each person’s
vote counts. Political opponents dismiss this kind of political
accountability. I say it’s an absolute requirement for a committed and
serious politician,” she said.

“Only 43 per cent of Aucklanders voted in the last Auckland City Council
election. I believe a critical component of encouraging participation in
the democratic process is to strengthen the role of Community Boards,”
Fletcher said. “As part of my commitment to the democratic process I will
reinstate the Complaints Office at Auckland City which was dumped by John
Banks. This office was an important avenue for citizens to have their
voice heard. It listened to their issues and investigated them as
appropriate.”

Chris Fletcher believes that there are issues of great public importance
to Auckland City residents which could be best addressed by a binding
referendum. “I challenge John Banks to put the Eastern Motorway to a
referendum. It’s clear he is not listening to what the public are asking
for on this issue. When the true costs and benefits of the proposed
motorway are weighed against the benefits of a world-class public
transport system at significantly lower cost, I have no doubt whatsoever
what the public of Auckland will choose.”