SHAPE UP OR YOU’RE OUT: Aunty Mau sets time clock running on vaka councils

WHERE now for the vaka councils, the community-elected system of local government on Rarotonga?
Minister for Internal Affairs Aunty Ngamau Munokoa on Thursday delivered a warning that the time clock is ticking on their future.
It came when she addressed a meeting of vaka councillors and Rarotonga Members of Parliament. This was held at the Internal Affairs offices at Tupapa.
Three points were clear from the meeting:
FIRST POINT: Aunty Mau said there is a belief the councils are not delivering what is expected.
They get $145,000 a year from the Government, which is divided amongst the three councils based on their size. But the councils are not in turn delivering the work and benefits Government and the people want.
The system is not working. This cannot continue. If the councils don’t act, the Government will, she indicated.
SECOND POINT: Vaka councillors said they can do more with more money. But the present money is also used to pay allowances for councillors and administration costs. Once this is taken out there is only enough left to pay for cleaning the roadsides, they said.
Councils would like to be able to do improvement work in areas like streams and drainage too. But they say they don’t get enough money from Government to do this.
There was also uncertainty about what they are supposed to do. There were claims there is no clear job description from Government on the role of the councillors and councils.
Puaikura Mayor Robert Heather took a different approach from his colleagues. He said the councils need to realise there is no more money available. They need to work smarter with what they get, he urged.
THIRD POINT: The Rarotonga Members of Parliament believe they can administer this whole area of local government in their constituencies better than the vaka councils are.
They would do this in conjunction with the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
But there are reservations over giving the Rarotonga Members of Parliament a direct role in controlling this local government work and money.
The worry is that this could lead to politicising how and where this community work is done and money spent.
SOLUTIONS
Moves to find solutions are expected to start with meetings between the vaka councils and the Members of Parliament from their areas.
But looming over all this is the ticking time clock switched on by Aunty Mau.
The drawing up of budgets for the 2007-2008 financial year starts in the ministries in March. Budget plans from the ministries are expected to reach Cabinet in April.
Realistic proposals will have to be made by then or Government might make its own decision.
That could include doing away with the vaka councils.
Amidst the claims and counter claims, a significant suggestion came from Ministry of Internal Affairs Secretary Tamarii Tutangata Pierre.
He proposed getting help from experts from the Commonwealth Local Government Forum’s Pacific regional office in Fiji. The London-based Forum works to strengthen best practice in local government across the Commonwealth.
Its regional experts could, the Internal Affairs Secretary said, look at the whole system of local government on Rarotonga and suggest solutions.
That’s an idea which could gain more support in the days ahead as the time clock ticks. So too could Mayor Heather’s suggestion of the councils working smarter.

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