We've all had that feeling - if only I'd done X instead of Y, none of this almighty pickle that is Z would have happened. The Government and super-city leadership must be rueing the day they let Rodney Hide strong-arm them into not having Maori seats on the super-city council. It's probable the fallout over doing that - with the arguable bonus of Rodney resigning as minister - would have been much easier to negotiate than the lawyer-enriching bunfight that has developed over the Maori statutory board.
Just what we needed: another brown-v-white stoush about money and politics.
The new council's decision-making apparatus has been shown up as shambolic and lacking even a nugget of common sense. To lard an already controversial board - unelected but with voting powers - with $3.4 million before its worth has even been proved shows a worrying casualness over dispensing ratepayers' money.
To then renege on that budget, having arrived at the decision in such a disorganised way as to be open to court challenge ... well, when public officials get themselves into this kind of hole, ...
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