Co-governance in the Far North

Party: ACT

Sender: ACT New Zealand I ACTion <[email protected]>

Date Received: 2025-10-03 19:46

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Dear [Name],

Kiwis want a government that solves problems, not creates them.

And that’s exactly what ACT has been doing this week – fixing what matters by reining in councils enforcing zombie laws, standing up for uni students forced into pointless courses, and scrapping earthquake rules that have wasted billions.

It’s practical, it’s results-driven, and it shows what happens when common sense is finally in charge.

Let's crack into it.

Earthquake regulations: ACT proven right after nine years

Sometimes being right takes time. Nine years, in this case. Back in 2016 David Seymour was the only MP to vote against National’s earthquake-prone building law, one vote against 120. He warned it would waste billions, tie up builders, and save virtually no lives. In Parliament he said:

“In Auckland this legislation might reduce deaths over 10,000 years by three lives.”

Nine years later, reality has proven ACT right. Empty buildings line provincial town centres. Owners were saddled with bills they couldn’t afford. Builders and materials that could have gone into new homes were tied up fixing old ones. And thanks to heritage rules, many couldn’t even demolish their buildings, they were trapped.

The law followed the Canterbury Earthquakes and a Royal Commission of Inquiry. The intention might have been noble, but the execution was disastrous.

"Nine years and billions of wasted dollars later, reason and logic are back, just in time to stop billions more that would be wasted if the earthquake law continued.” – David Seymour

Fixing this mess will save New Zealanders $8 billion.

“Today's triumph of reason and logic over emotion and populism gives hope. It shows Kiwis can solve many more problems to boot, all we need is courage.”– David Seymour

That’s ACT: standing alone when it mattered, and being proven right.

Co-governance in the Far North: Democracy under threat

Let’s take a trip to the Far North. Beautiful beaches, long hot summers, a strong agricultural sector, and backroom deals with unelected officials. Just what everyone wanted – yeah right.

“Instead of focusing on what matters, like roads and pipes, the Far North District Council is busy signing co-governance arrangements that sideline democratic decision-making and divide people based on race” – Cameron Luxton.

The FNDC has just signed a “Mana Whakahono ā-Rohe” agreement with Ngāpuhi under the Resource Management Act. It requires the Council to elevate iwi above others, giving them a seat at the table in decisions on resource consents and Council land.

ACT Local candidate for Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Ward, Davina Smolders, put it plainly:

“FNDC ratepayers are staring down the barrel of a 10.95% rates hike, and what they get in return is a council more focused on ideological partnerships than on delivering value for money.” – Davina Smolders

ACT’s solution is simple: a bill to stop unelected appointees from getting voting rights. Because democracy isn’t complicated. It’s one person, one vote, not backroom deals.

Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour, told this group of Mid-Canterbury farmers he is dismayed at their plight in “the republic of Environment Canterbury”.

Councils told: Stop enforcing zombie laws

Councils have been punishing ratepayers with rules that are already on their way out. It’s nonsense, and ACT has stopped it.

“We understand that councils must follow the law like everyone else. That's true even if they're zombie laws that will soon be removed.

"However there's a question of priority, and working with the community instead of against them.

"Councils should not be going out of their way to enforce zombie laws on the people who pay their rates.” – David Seymour

Last week David and Andrew Hoggard sat down with a Canterbury farmer who’d been hammered by ECan. He was stuck in a bureaucratic nightmare, fighting rules that the Government had already signalled would be scrapped. That’s the definition of a zombie law: dead, but still walking.

Thanks to ACT, the Government has made it clear that councils should stop wasting time and money enforcing these rules.

And it’s not just in Wellington – ACT Local candidates are fighting this battle too. In Hamilton, the council tried to fine a homeowner for putting up a garden shed. But ACT Local Candidate for the East General Ward, Preet Dhaliwal, stepped in. Preet lobbied on the resident’s behalf, asking the obvious question: how can you enforce something that will soon be redundant? With pressure from ACT, the council was forced into a humiliating U-turn.

ACT is putting councils on notice: stop bullying ratepayers, stop enforcing nonsense, and start working with communities. That’s fixing what matters.

ACT says Auckland University should pay back thousands of students who did compulsory Treaty of Waitangi and Te Ao Māori courses.

Auckland Uni’s Treaty Course: Students deserve their money back

Now imagine you’re a first-year student at the University of Auckland. You’ve committed to 3-5 years of study, taken on a hefty loan, and after long talks with family, friends, and mentors, chosen your path – maybe law, engineering, or science. Then suddenly your timetable is hijacked by a compulsory Treaty paper you never asked for.

The University tells you to cough up $5,730. It eats into your time, gives you nothing useful for your degree, and ultimately nothing for your future.

Well, that’s been the reality for more than 8,000 Auckland Uni students this year.

“The compulsory Waipapa Taumata Rau (WTR) paper has been an expensive mistake… For many, that money bought them no value, and they deserve redress.” – Parmjeet Parmar

Life is about taking control of your own future – making choices and living with them. Just as ACT believes government has no business telling you how to live, neither should a state-funded university. Students should be free to choose what matters for their careers, not be force-fed ideology.

ACT warned this would happen before the first students even enrolled. Now we’re saying the University Council must make it right – with credits, financial relief, and an end to compulsory courses that waste time and money.

One Week to Go – Vote ACT Local

There’s just one week left to vote in the local body elections – with polls closing at midday, Saturday 11 October.

Our 46 ACT Local candidates have worked incredibly hard to give their communities a real choice this year. Now they need your support.

If you’re frustrated by wasteful spending, skyrocketing rates, and councils that ignore the basics, this is your chance to make a change. ACT Local candidates are standing up for common sense: fixing roads and pipes, keeping rates down, and working for you – not the council bureaucracy.

Click here to find your ACT Local candidate, and cast your vote for real change and lower rates.

Here are our Ōrākei Local Board candidates, joined by outgoing board member Penny Tucker and MP for Epsom David Seymour, visiting local constituents and business owners in Remuera.

Until Next Week

These wins show the difference ACT is making in government. We’re taking on the problems that hit people in the pocket, in the classroom, and in their communities – and we’re fixing them.

👉 Say g'day at our next event

Thanks,

Team ACT

DONATE TODAY

[Name], if you like what we're doing, and wish to support us, please consider donating. As a grassroots movement, we rely on the support from Kiwis like you.

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Authorised by C Purves, Suite 2.5, 27 Gillies Avenue, Newmarket, Auckland 1023

Text Version

<https://www.act.org.nz/>Dear [Name], <https://action.act.org.nz/>
Kiwis want a government that solves problems, not creates them.
And that’s exactly what ACT has been doing this week – fixing what matters by reining in councils enforcing zombie laws, standing up for uni students forced into pointless courses, and scrapping earthquake rules that have wasted billions.
It’s practical, it’s results-driven, and it shows what happens when common sense is finally in charge.
Let's crack into it.
<https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/574487/act-leader-david-seymour-hails-government-shake-up-of-earthquake-strengthening-laws>Earthquake regulations: ACT proven right after nine years
Sometimes being right takes time. Nine years, in this case. Back in 2016David Seymour was the only MP to vote against National’s earthquake-prone building law, one vote against 120. He warned it would waste billions, tie up builders, and save virtually no lives. In Parliament he said:
“In Auckland this legislation might reduce deaths over 10,000 years by three lives.”
Nine years later, reality has proven ACT right. Empty buildings line provincial town centres. Owners were saddled with bills they couldn’t afford. Builders and materials that could have gone into new homes were tied up fixing old ones. And thanks to heritage rules, many couldn’t even demolish their buildings, they were trapped.
The law followed the Canterbury Earthquakes and a Royal Commission of Inquiry. The intention might have been noble, but the execution was disastrous.
"Nine years and billions of wasted dollars later, reason and logic are back, just in time to stop billions more that would be wasted if the earthquake law continued.” – David Seymour
Fixing this mess will save New Zealanders $8 billion.
“Today's triumph of reason and logic over emotion and populism gives hope. It shows Kiwis can solve many more problems to boot, all we need is courage.”– David Seymour
That’s ACT: standing alone when it mattered, and being proven right.
Co-governance in the Far North: Democracy under threat
Let’s take a trip to the Far North. Beautiful beaches, long hot summers, a strong agricultural sector, and backroom deals with unelected officials. Just what everyone wanted – yeah right.
“Instead of focusing on what matters, like roads and pipes, the Far North District Council is busy signing co-governance arrangements that sideline democratic decision-making and divide people based on race”– Cameron Luxton.
The FNDC has just signed a “Mana Whakahono ā-Rohe” agreement with Ngāpuhi under the Resource Management Act. It requires the Council to elevate iwi above others, giving them a seat at the table in decisions on resource consents and Council land.
ACT Local candidate for Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Ward, Davina Smolders, put it plainly:
“FNDC ratepayers are staring down the barrel of a 10.95% rates hike, and what they get in return is a council more focused on ideological partnerships than on delivering value for money.” – Davina Smolders
ACT’s solution is simple: a bill to stop unelected appointees from getting voting rights. Because democracy isn’t complicated. It’s one person, one vote, not backroom deals.
<https://www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/360836504/are-cantabrians-living-republic-ecan>Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour, told this group of Mid-Canterbury farmers he is dismayed at their plight in “the republic of Environment Canterbury”.
Councils told: Stop enforcing zombie laws
Councils have been punishing ratepayers with rules that are already on their way out. It’s nonsense, and ACT has stopped it.
“We understand that councils must follow the law like everyone else. That's true even if they're zombie laws that will soon be removed.
"However there's a question of priority, and working with the community instead of against them.
"Councils should not be going out of their way to enforce zombie laws on the people who pay their rates.” – David Seymour
Last week David and Andrew Hoggard sat down with a Canterbury farmer who’d been hammered by ECan. He was stuck in a bureaucratic nightmare, fighting rules that the Government had already signalled would be scrapped. That’s the definition of a zombie law: dead, but still walking.
Thanks to ACT, the Government has made it clear that councils should stop wasting time and money enforcing these rules.
And it’s not just in Wellington – ACT Local candidates are fighting this battle too. In Hamilton, the council tried to fine a homeowner for putting up a garden shed. But ACT Local Candidate for the East General Ward, Preet Dhaliwal, stepped in. Preet lobbied on the resident’s behalf, asking the obvious question: how can you enforce something that will soon be redundant? With pressure from ACT, the council was forced into a humiliating U-turn.
ACT is putting councils on notice: stop bullying ratepayers, stop enforcing nonsense, and start working with communities. That’s fixing what matters.
<https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/dr-parmjeet-parmar-act-mp-says-auckland-university-should-pay-back-students-who-took-treaty-of-waitangi-and-te-ao-m%C4%81ori-courses/>ACT says Auckland University should pay back thousands of students who did compulsory Treaty of Waitangi and Te Ao Māori courses.
Auckland Uni’s Treaty Course: Students deserve their money back
Now imagine you’re a first-year student at the University of Auckland. You’ve committed to 3-5 years of study, taken on a hefty loan, and after long talks with family, friends, and mentors, chosen your path – maybe law, engineering, or science. Then suddenly your timetable is hijacked by a compulsory Treaty paper you never asked for.
The University tells you to cough up $5,730. It eats into your time, gives you nothing useful for your degree, and ultimately nothing for your future.
Well, that’s been the reality for more than 8,000 Auckland Uni students this year.
“The compulsory Waipapa Taumata Rau (WTR) paper has been an expensive mistake… For many, that money bought them no value, and they deserve redress.” – Parmjeet Parmar
Life is about taking control of your own future – making choices and living with them. Just as ACT believes government has no business telling you how to live, neither should a state-funded university. Students should be free to choose what matters for their careers, not be force-fed ideology.
ACT warned this would happen before the first students even enrolled. Now we’re saying the University Council must make it right – with credits, financial relief, and an end to compulsory courses that waste time and money.
One Week to Go – Vote ACT Local
There’s just one week left to vote in the local body elections – with polls closing at midday, Saturday 11 October.
Our 46 ACT Local candidates have worked incredibly hard to give their communities a real choice this year. Now they need your support.
If you’re frustrated by wasteful spending, skyrocketing rates, and councils that ignore the basics, this is your chance to make a change. ACT Local candidates are standing up for common sense: fixing roads and pipes, keeping rates down, and working for you – not the council bureaucracy.
Click here to find your ACT Local candidate <https://www.actlocal.nz/candidates>, and cast your vote for real change and lower rates.
Here are our Ōrākei Local Board candidates <https://www.actlocal.nz/orakei>, joined by outgoing board member Penny Tucker and MP for Epsom David Seymour, visiting local constituents and business owners in Remuera.
Until Next Week
These wins show the difference ACT is making in government. We’re taking on the problems that hit people in the pocket, in the classroom, and in their communities – and we’re fixing them.
👉 Say g'day at our next event <https://action.act.org.nz/events>
Thanks,
Team ACT
<https://action.act.org.nz/donate>DONATE TODAY <https://action.act.org.nz/donate>[Name], if you like what we're doing, and wish to support us, please consider donating. As a grassroots movement, we rely on the support from Kiwis like you.
This email was sent to [Email] <https://action.act.org.nz/unsubscribe>
You can update your email preferences here <https://action.act.org.nz/unsubscribe>
Authorised by C Purves, Suite 2.5, 27 Gillies Avenue, Newmarket, Auckland 1023