Council Staff Around the World get a Wake Up Call

Many of you will already be aware of and other types of Council Watch NZ initiatives. There are upcoming regional elections in NZ, from 9 September 2025 - 11 October 2025. And many freedom-loving citizens have stepped-up to the challenges ahead. Now is the chance to find your local independent candidate, or stand yourself! So far, I’m aware of Better Wellington and Better Hamilton and now a local team I’m proud to support: Better Waipa…. Let me know of others!

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Council Watch projects arguably began life in my home county, in Essex, UK. Their YouTube channels have gained amazing support, and for those with interests in the UK situation, here’s coordinator Rachel’s latest (Summery) update from the Northern Hemisphere (4 mins):

So, returning to NZ, what are Better Waipa’s objectives in representing us ratepayers in our area? You won’t be surprised to know they are very similar to every other Council Watch around the globe: we want no more vanity projects, and instead a return to basics. We want an end to fraud, nepotism, bribery and corruption, and financial inefficiencies, including unnecessary expenditure on consultancy fees. Now.

Council need to return to the basics and deliver core services such as regular rubbish collection and fit-for-purpose roads. These are areas to address so we can reach those realistic outcomes:

Council Debt

Waipā's debt burden now exceeds $392 million and continues to climb.

This equates to one of the highest debt-per-ratepayer ratios among local councils nationwide. Eeek! Councillors were cautioned at the time of the election that Waipā was heading into a perfect financial storm. Yet, despite these warnings, an additional $50 million was borrowed, pushing the district’s total LGFA debt to $392 million.

Why does the Waipā District Council persist with unchecked spending that is rapidly inflating debt, with no end in sight?

Traffic Chaos

Waipā has been undermined by poorly planned initiatives, including excessive speed bumps, reduced parking and for Cambridge, the sham consultation process regarding the third bridge. Over the past three years, we’ve witnessed the Innovating Streets debacle coloured dots painted across intersections, planter boxes replacing valuable parking, and orange posts restricting access to local streets.

All of this was implemented without genuine public consultation, as part of a misguided social engineering program.

Unaffordable Rate Increases

Year-on-year increases are outpacing the ability of ratepayers to keep up.

The upcoming rating year brings a rates increase of over 15%, with a likely real out-of-pocket cost substantially higher due to the scheduled 2025 property valuations. This will be followed by a further 9% increase the year after. The financial burden on ratepayers is escalating rapidly. In addition, a significant rise in public debt is planned to fund new infrastructure debt that future ratepayers will ultimately be responsible for at a time when global uncertainty is already shaping an unpredictable social and financial landscape.

Waikato Waters Done to You aka ‘3 Waters’

The Council is continuing at pace with the push for Three Waters reform, now rebranded under the banner of Waikato Waters Done Well (WWDW). Alongside this is the near-mandated introduction of fluoride to Waipa’s drinking water supply. And I’ve written about how our local council have been captured by BigChem here:

Local is Actually Global: How a small Council in New Zealand got captured by BigChem

First of all, I’m no scientist (obviously). If you want answers to the issue of fluoride from an in-depth scientific perspectives, I suggest you consult an expert on this topic, like GeoffPainPhD. There is plenty of academic literature on sites like

Informed HeartUrsula Edgington, PhD

These issues should be at the top of the Council’s agenda for genuine engagement with residents, rather than the superficial approach currently being taken.

Transparency

Trust is at an all time low. That’s because censorship is ubiquitous.

It’s time for WDC to be transparent. Transparency should be a cornerstone policy for every council. Yet the number of closed-door meetings and heavily redacted information from Waipā District Council (WDC), all under the guise of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA) has become unacceptable. With all due respect, the WDC is not the Secret Service or the New Zealand Police. There is no justifiable reason for such excessive secrecy from an organisation that exists to serve the residents and ratepayers of Waipā. If there was more transparency, then rates would not be escalating out of control:

Finally, a keyword search on WDCs website, meeting minutes and policies, including code of conduct rules, found zero results for the words like ‘bribery’ or ‘corruption’. References to ‘fraud’ were only within the context of staff credit card expense claims or auditing of Annual Reports. Conducting the same keyword search within the Local Government legislation, produced similar results. We cannot measure or address what we do not first define and identify. Clearly, evidence collected by Better Waipa suggests that there is an urgent need for a new Fraud and Corruption Policy at WDC, alongside a whistleblower procedure and relevant training to raise awareness. Here is a draft policy for discussion!

Overall, change is well overdue. I recognise that politics are not any solution to our dilemma. BUT this could be our last chance to cast a vote for an independent candidate and avoid the WEF Agenda 2030 policies. These policies are currently being fast-tracked in these WDC closed meetings. Please spread the word, wherever you are in NZ or overseas - now is the time to take action and support your local groups in any way you can. The future in LOCAL.

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