Adding unelected members to ORC - letter from Brian Miller

-------- Forwarded Message --------

Subject:	Elected Representation.
Date:	Mon, 8 Jul 2019 13:45:36 +1200
To:	Otago Daily Times

It is disappointing to see a candidate who failed to be democratically be elected to the  Otago Regional Council, is now being appointed based on race,  to a regional council committee with voting rights.

Regards

Brian Miller

The well-meant decisions to achieve wider viewpoints by adding extra representatives or quotas for Maori, looks like an issue that can never be addressed in future. 
A time limit, why not?
Maori / British "blood" and the proportion of "blood" that confers authenticity, this is outdated thinking best left in the past, not revived.
However as time goes by more and more NZers are descended from a great mixture of races/ethnicities. Which cultural aspects they identify with is sometimes a matter of how they were raised, sometimes an innate feeling that they are comfortable in a different culture.
I hope that it will not be long before all elected representatives feel that they are there to take into account and respect the priorities of the mixture that is NZers now, then using judgement to come to decisions that do not give unfair advantage to any sector.