Complex conversations on complex questions – deliberative democracy in practice
An excellent audio – “how the techniques of deliberative, as opposed to participatory democracy can be used to close the gap between public perceptions of major issues and their potential solutions. The discussion was particularly relevant to the climate emergency.” Rosemary’s only criticism is that it seems to assume Participatory Democracy is what we have now. The talk includes research done in a process in Auckland where a process looked at “Where Auckland should get’s water”
He Kāinga Rawaka, A Decent Home
A new housing inquiry website launched by Human Rights Commission.
“Now, we hope to hear from many more people through our website, where people can submit their experiences and solutions for housing,” he said.
The Commission is asking for people’s experiences generally and on the three topics of emergency and transitional housing, rental conditions, and the cultural adequacy of housing. The experiences that people share will inform the housing inquiry’s reports and findings.
The Case for Passenger rail… Who is minister of the South island
However, I will finish with another question: who is the minister for the South Island?
There isn’t one and that is why we are overlooked for funding on infrastructure and rail. We need an advocate in central government because the North Island is too dominant, with resources being taken up by Auckland and Wellington. Scotland had a dedicated minister before the parliament returned, and it made a difference, but I am not proposing devolution, just that decisions such as passenger rail, or our new hospital and the future of the Hillside workshops are not made hundreds of kilometres away by politicians who may have nothing to do with the South Island or Otago or Southland but by dedicated ministers dedicated to the unique needs of our island, region and city.
Leave a Reply