[ad_1]
Not long ago, the Otago Regional Council (ORC) was embroiled in interpersonal conflict and under investigation for not doing its job.
Now, it is poised to have its most progressive team in years, and one that includes the country’s first openly non-binary councillor.
But the gender of ecologist and University of Otago masters student Elliot Weir, 21, who polled fourth out of the six available spots on council, was omitted from their political campaign.
“My gender won’t change the way I make decisions on predator control or land use management,” they said.
READ MORE:
* ‘Go hard, try out as many identities as you want’: How reclaiming their gender identity made these Kiwis happy
* Trans Awareness Week a chance to reflect on journey so far, but still a long way to go
* The non-binary kid who changed the way their school thought about gender
* Kiwi transgender and non-binary people at higher risk of suicide – survey
From the get go, their interest in the ORC was about understanding how it functioned.
Months before deciding to run, Weir, who worked for student magazine, Critic Te Ārohi, wanted to write an article about how the regional council affected the daily lives of young people.
They thought it would be straight forward, and maybe encourage young people to vote.
“But the more [council meetings] I watched, the less I understood. The whole ordeal exemplified the toxic and dysfunctional culture on council at the time.
“Obviously people are going to disagree, but a lot of conversations weren’t constructive at all, there was shouting and bickering, a lot of stalling on making decisions.”
Weir said the negativity was not just bad for their reputation, but bad for democracy.
“If people think the council gets nothing done, they turn off … if no-one is paying attention, why would the council do better?”
Weir knew they had the passion and level of expertise to get elected, but thought including their gender on campaign material would turn it into “a topic of debate”.
They were aware of a Local Government New Zealand survey from earlier in the year, in which 49.5% of people on local government reported racism or gender-based discrimination while in office.
“People just looking at my face think I’m straight and male. Well, that works out for me, even if that’s not great.
“It just shows that kind of abuse isn’t about the substance of what you stand on, but what you look like.”
Electing people of substance to the ORC was important to Weir, who said the most people knew about the council was the negative headlines.
Negative stories, notably about the Manuherekia River and the council’s failure to protect it by setting minimum flow levels, had followed the council for years.
The council was given 30 years to meet those legal requirements, but did not. Hundreds of consents lapsed, and the Government got involved.
The council also faced a variety of interpersonal disputes and allegations of conflict of interest.
One councillor even signed a petition calling on the Government to disband the council and appoint commissioners.
Based on the preliminary election results, Weir was confident people would see a positive change, and was looking forward to their first council meeting.
“This is the most progressive ORC ever, 100%.”
[ad_2]
Source link