Council asked 'to be brave' but sticks with voting system

“I would like to see more younger people energized by democracy not turned off by democracy. And when it looks like old people standing in their way, that must be a turnoff."

The Invercargill City Council has stuck with the first past the post system for the next election.

Invercargill City Council is sticking with the “first past the post” voting system despite a passionate plea “to be brave” and make a change.

The council had a decision to make on Tuesday whether it would potentially change its voting system for the council’s next election in 2025.

The Invercargill council currently uses the first past the post system where people cast their votes for the candidate of their choice and the one with the most votes wins.

The other option is the STV voting system which allows voters to rank their preferred candidates.

Councillor Alex Crackett asked her fellow councillors to make the call for change.

“I really want to urge you to be brave and not think about us but to think about the future.

“The council that comes next, do you want people who are voting, to strengthen their voice that their entire preference is counted or just a single vote?” Crackett said.

“Invercargill deserves a fairer voting system. I truly believe we should be thinking about future councils.”

“Elected bodies with broader representation are most likely to be reflected in an STV system and we’ve been able to see that in history.”

Councillors Darren Ludlow and Lesley Soper also spoke in favour of a change to the STV voting system, as did mana whenua representative Evelyn Cook.

“I would like to see more younger people energized by democracy not turned off by democracy.

“And when it looks like old people standing in their way, that must be a turnoff,” Cook said.

“This is a system that has been around that has suited the power class - if you like - for a long time. Is this not the time that we actually think about what the young people are saying to us, that there is another model, and that they actually see the potential in it and try it?

“We did try MMP and it actually did give us a different composition of members of parliament. While some people don’t like it some people have rejoiced in it - more women, more diversity.

“If we do the same thing we’ve always done we’ll get the same result we’ve always got.”

Although that’s where the support ended for the proposed change to STV.

Mayor Nobby Clark, and councillors Peter Kett, Barry Stewart, Grant Dermody, Ria Bond and Ian Pottinger all voted to stick with first past the post.

Tom Campbell, Trish Boyle and Alan Arnold were not in attendance for the vote.

Cr Kett said he had canvased a lot of elderly people who found STV to complicated, as did Cr Stewart who said “99 percent” of the people had talked to preferred first past the post.

There was a feeling if the STV system was introduced it could reduce voter turnout further.

Cr Pottinger said people he talked to want to vote for multiple council candidates and want to give them the same amount of support without having to rank them.

That’s one of the reasons why he preferred FFP over STP.

Dermody believed first past the post was the best way to get people to exercise their right to vote.

“I think there is a real risk we put people off if we have a confusing system.”