Roads ‘n’ rules

Written By: - Date published: 10:18 am, August 12th, 2014 - 20 comments
Categories: community democracy, democratic participation, election 2014, equality, poverty - Tags:

The Kumeu candidates debate last night covered topics ranging from the very local, to the global: local roads and round-a-bouts, through the internet, poverty, health, jobs and education, to climate change, the TPPA, and the GCSB. Roads and rules were a recurring theme.

Kumeu candiates meeting 2014

I set off for Kumeu yesterday evening, thinking I’d be getting their early enough to get into the venue.  I’d forgotten about peak traffic on the North Western motorway. It was a slow crawl until I got past the Lincoln Road exit (Henderson).  In off peak times it should only be about 25 minutes from New Lynn.  It took nearly an hour.

On the journey, we had to squeeze over into the next lane to let an ambulance, sirens and lights) through.  At around the same time 2 ambulances with sirens and lights raced down the city bound lane.  Life on the highways can be dangerous.  I’d have gone by public transport it’s not really an option for getting to Kumeu in peak time, let alone for going back to New Lynn later in the evening. There is no choice but to go by car and hassle with the traffic.

The drive into Kumeu was a slow crawl – obviously a lot of people headed in that direction. Kumeu people, are well organised – both a positive and a negative.  The locals were friendly and welcoming.  There were people directing the traffic to car parks.  Already there were people queuing outside the hall with banners and placards.

Around 6pm when the meeting was due to start, the waiting crowds were let into the hall.  And then there was a long wait.  People were milling around, some people put up a dolphin banner:

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The meeting didn’t actually start to closer to 7pm.  Meanwhile candidates arrived and were milling about, all campaign and party banners and placards were taken down before the meeting started – including the dolphin one.  The Labour candidates found a way to fill in their time (phones to ears):

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The headlining candidates were the last to arrive – making a kind of star entrance.  Hone Harawira arrived, then did a hongi and greet with all the candidates.  John Key arrived (amid cheers accompanied by quite loud boos) and greeted all.  Laila Harre arrived, hongi-ed with Kennedy Graham, but noticeably only shook hands with John Key.

So the meeting began – the rules were laid down strongly – no talking about other parties or candidates or debating with them.  A little later booing was outlawed.  This left cheering as the only acceptable crowd response – so I used my cheers very selectively.

So many strict rules set up a growing desire to break protocols and get real. Candidate meetings in electorates, should be about members of the public being able to directly engage with their wannabe representatives.  In a democracy, I would expect a free flow of two way engagement, with the public given a chance to test the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate.

But it seems, in Kumeu last night, many on the right wanted their “democracy” strongly mediated and controlled. Speakers were able to deliver their carefully crafted speeches and campaign slogans as if on TV.  Mostly it was just the same old party lines that I would have expected.  This meant that I loved any of the rare expressions of spontaneity, and local engagement.

The speaking order had been drawn from a hat.  First up, Kennedy Graham, green electorate candidate for Helensville.  He always speaks well on international issues and climate change.

As someone who votes Green because it has strongly left wing policies, values, and processes (of collaboration), I was a little taken aback by one of Graham’s opening statements: that the Green Party did not “easily fit into left or right” wing politics “Green movement cannot easily be placed on the left-right spectrum”.  He said this was because they were for both freedom and equality.  Here he seemed to be subscribing to one of the myths about the left – that it is anti-freedom.  And in view of the highly controlled and disciplinarian values espoused from the right at Kumeu, freedom is hardly something universally espoused by the right.

On reflection, I noted Graham had said “easily fit”.

When the Conservative Party candidate, Deborah Dougherty, spoke, she also seemed about strict discipline and control – at least when it comes to law and order, the prison system, and like the ACT candidate, protection of property.

John Key was second speaker, and went on about how his government had improved SH 16, the North Western Motorway, to Kumeu. Well, I guess if that’s what the people of Kumeu want.  Later in the question time (questions submitted in writing from the floor, and selected by the host) Key claimed his government had improved Auckland’s rail, with double-tracking etc.  Well, that was all started under Labour.  He said that when the train line ran to Helensville, it wasn’t used.  The answer to that, is cheaper, more efficient and well-planned public transport.

Graham’s statement, that the Greens would improved bus and rail transport to and from Kumeu and Helensille, got a big cheer from me.

In the context of the rules set down, the local Labour candidate, Corie Haddock, was a breath of fresh air.  He was a bit hesitant as he kept looking at his notes.  However, he spoke of a real connection to the local community, recounting his experiences and engagements with people there.

Corie Haddock 2014LAB-PRI-BIL-HAD001-220x150

The local Maori Party candidate, Te Hira Paenga, was a stand out.  He moved the lectern off the stage, onto the auditorium floor, and was a lively orator – speaking directly to the people of his experiences, aims and hopes.

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Te Hira Paenga speaking from the auditorium

Key’s speech and answers were his usual salesman spiel, of (alleged) facts and figures, reeled off so quickly there’s no time to dispute them – his eyes blank and expressionless.  And he just couldn’t resist breaking the rules of answering a questioning by doing his in-the-House routine of attacking Labour first. The host (Holly Ryan) was distracted, and only pulled Key up when people from the floor started calling: “rules!  rules! rules”.  She threatened to expel him from the hall when he persisted (as reported on Stuff).

Earlier, Key had praised Ryan, saying they should have her in the House; that she’d make a better speaker than the current one – now that sounded like Key didn’t rate Speaker Carter that much.

Marama Davidson, Green candidate for Tāmaki Makarau, spoke from the heart and soul, about ending child poverty and the importance of giving all a good start in life and education.

???????????????????????????????Key looked bored when he was away from the spotlight, fidgeting, and physically holding himself in check.

The NZ Herald gives a run-down on topics covered by speakers.

There were complaints about people being shut out of the hall, due to the size of the crowd. Some members of the press were shut out, left watching the event on a screen.

During the speeches and questions, the sounds of chanting outside could be heard.  While John Key was answering a question, the noticeable sound of a haka could be heard from outside.

There was an opportunity for members of the public to engage more informally with the local candidates after the meeting – but John Key raced off early.

Laila Harre spoke well, on changing the government, Internet access for all, etc.  However, she did her party a disservice by not engaging on local issues, choosing to focus on the party vote.  But I don’t think she’ll gain many party votes in Helensville, by showing little interest in their local concerns. Hone Harawira spoke with some passion on ending poverty.  However, like many other speakers, it sounded like he’d said it so many times before on the road trip, that he was not as inspirational as he can be.

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But the fault is as much with the format as the speakers, who, within the set rules, couldn’t do much more than repeat their campaign lines.  Engaging with the public directly is a way to fire up candidates, and to get them speaking off the cuff, and from the heart.

Leaving the hall, it looked to me like there had been more spontaneity, heart,, soul and community spirit outside the hall during the meeting, than inside.

Internet Mana outside Kumeu Hall 2014

 Update: The Stuff video here includes exerts from the speeches by Key, Harre, and the excellent response from Penny Bright to attempts to muzzle her – one of the real, and heartfelt speeches.

Kennedy Graham’s Kumeu speech.

Marama Davidson’s Kumeu speech – on The Daily Blog.

20 comments on “Roads ‘n’ rules ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. One Anonymous Bloke 1
    12 August 2014 at 10:58 am

    It was on that basis that the Prime Minister agreed to be there.

    • karol 1.1
      12 August 2014 at 11:02 am

      Key knew about some issues for and policies affecting, Helensville people – the Waimakiri Waimauku round-a-bout kept getting mentioned as a local issue. But he showed little real engagement with the people of his electorate – very much the parachuted in candidate. But, I guess that electorate is fine with it that way. They keep voting for him.

      • MeToo 1.1.1
        12 August 2014 at 11:47 am

        It’s the Waimauku roundabout Karol, not Waimakiri. This is presumably for the intersection that leads to Muriwai – a very busy stretch of road especially in summer.

        Gee, such a benefit having the PM as out local MP – after 12 years of Key’s representation the district gets its second roundabout!

      • Blue 1.1.2
        12 August 2014 at 12:00 pm

        Helensville is one of those electorates that would vote for a gumboot with a blue rosette pinned to it. There is no point in any other candidate trying to contest it seriously. That’s why it makes sense to focus on the party vote.

  2. CeeH 2
    12 August 2014 at 11:23 am

    Message to Helensville re the roundabout – turn left you’re on the road to somewhere – keep right, you remain on the road to nowhere.

  3. Clemgeopin 3
    12 August 2014 at 11:34 am

    Nice photos of the Maori party, Internet Mana and the Green party candidates.

    You wrote, “In the context of the rules set down, the local Labour candidate, Corie Haddock, was a breath of fresh air.’ I wish there was a photo of him too in the report. Labour needs all the publicity it can. The MSM haven’t treated it fairly or too well during this election, as you probably know.

    • MeToo 3.1
      12 August 2014 at 11:55 am

      Corie actually lives in the electorate, along with Act candidate and local board member Phelan Pirrie. The rest are a bunch of carpet-baggers and attention-seekers. But wow, two whole candidates with genuine ties to the electorate to choose from, a magnitude of change compared to previous elections.

      I didn’t go last night, figured it wasn’t actually for locals. Went to dog training in the field next door to the church hall instead. The candidates meeting was VERY vocal! Cheers and boos, haka and song. Sounded very lively. We did discuss having the dogs all howl in unison at some point but they’re not well enough trained to perform on cue 🙂

      • karol 3.1.1
        12 August 2014 at 12:45 pm

        All the noise was from outside the hall – sounded like it was the real community meeting.

    • karol 3.2
      12 August 2014 at 12:37 pm

      I went with the best photos I took. I took many photos that came out blurry – eg ones of Key sitting there looking bored, holding his hands clasped in his lap, hand to face, etc – all blurry. The best one of that kind of pose was him behind Davidson.

      I really only know how to use my latest camera on auto – it takes a few moments for it to focus in the low light, and any moveent (of which there was a lot) caused the focus to start to reset – hence a lot of blurry photos. No clear photos of Harre, for instance.

      I’ll see if I can find a photo of Haddock online.

  4. weka 4
    12 August 2014 at 11:38 am

    Good write up karol, thanks. Like the picture of Key’s body language as Davidson is speaking.

    What was the point of the meeting exactly? It was Helensville electorate candidates, and who else? Trying to figure out why Harawira and Davidson were speaking.

    • Anne 4.1
      12 August 2014 at 11:55 am

      Helensville comes within the boundary of the Te Tai Tokerau electorate. Harawira is Mana’s candidate, and Kelvin Davis was also there for Labour.

      • MeToo 4.1.1
        12 August 2014 at 11:58 am

        The Green Party does not have a candidate in Tai Tokerau; parties that did not have candidates were welcome to send along someone else. So Davidson spoke for the Greens in Tai Tokerau and Andrew Williams spoke for NZ First in Helensville.

        • karol 4.1.1.1
          12 August 2014 at 12:42 pm

          Davidson was introduced as speaking for Maori for the Greens.

          Each candidate also was allowed to bring a policy adviser – presumably to help with answering questions. The advisers sat in the row behind the speakers. Phil Twyford was there for Labour, and Pita Sharples for the Maori Party.

  5. Neoleftie 5
    12 August 2014 at 7:14 pm

    Thank for the narrative and insight into the meet greet for those who weren’t there karol

  6. Michael who failed Civics 6
    12 August 2014 at 8:39 pm

    Kudos to Penny Bright. She sounded like the one candidate who actually cared about the electorate she was campaigning in.

    • Clemgeopin 6.1
      12 August 2014 at 9:05 pm

      Is there a video of all the speeches somewhere on line? Would be nice to hear some of the speeches.