Will council always be home to retirees, business owners, executives?
The median age in New Zealand is about 38. Yet the average age of elected members last term was between 56 and 60. At the Invercargill City Council it was about 65.
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In the lead up to the to the October 2022 local body elections Southland authorities teamed up to put together Vote Murihiku.
It was a campaign to encourage people to run for council, or other local boards.
There was an obvious target market for that campaign - Southland’s younger people.
Here’s a stat to set the scene.
The median age in New Zealand is about 38, yet the average age of elected members last term was between 56 and 60. At the Invercargill City Council it was about 65.
The percentage of members aged 40 or under in New Zealand is rising, but at 13.9% last term it was still not reflective of the country’s population.
Those behind Vote Murihiku enlisted breakfast radio host Steve Broad - who made his name as a singer - to host some events. He had more chance of connecting with a younger audience than a political veteran.
Guest speakers included New Zealand’s youngest councillor, from the Kāpiti Coast District Council, Sophie Handford.
The quest to give Southland’s younger generation a nudge towards throwing their name in the hat and run for council was commendable.
But with the risk of transforming into Negative Nelly, was the whole exercise a case of wishful thinking?
The reason I say this is local government - at councils the size of Invercargill at least - is generally setup for retirees, business owners, or established business executives.
Those people who have some flexibility in their lives to work in any commitments around council life.
Try being in your 20s or 30s while establishing a career as an accountant, lawyer, builder, with a kid or two, and becoming a councillor.
Is it realistic in the current setup?
Of course, there are exceptions.
Invercargill City Council’s Alex Crackett is an obvious one.
Crackett joined the council as a 25-year-old and now at 32 is in her third term as a councillor.
Despite being in her third term Crackett is still 15 years younger that the next youngest councillor in Invercargill.
Crackett has just been re-elected on the Young Elected Members Committee for Local Government New Zealand.
She believes there is a growing interest in younger people wanting to stand for roles within their local authorities.
But her personal view is there are barriers remaining in the current system for it to be realistic for most young people to take the step and sign up as a candidate.
“One of our primary focuses is to basically do what we can to advocate for the removal of barriers to entry for young people in local government.”
At some of the larger councils, councillors can earn enough to make a career out of it. Ratepayers might cringe at that, but it does help with the diversity stakes.
At smaller council’s it’s a juggling act. For example, councillors in Invercargill are paid just over $40,000. Those with other responsibilities are paid a touch more.
“It’s quite reflective in the structure I suppose of councils. It if you have a 9 to 5 job it’s almost impossible to do both,” Crackett says.
“But the smaller city councils and regional councils can’t afford to pay what someone would earn in a career.
“Quite often when you’re running for local government you are giving up the ability to further your career, you are giving up KiwiSaver, because you’re a contractor, you are giving up statutory rights to annual leave, and that sort of stuff.
“People don’t really think about that when they are getting involved in local government. Young people are missing out on those opportunities.”
“In a perfect world, you wouldn’t have to give up the opportunities you get in a career or in a working job to participate [in council] and do it justice.”
Meeting times can also be another barrier to entry. In the Invercargill City Council’s case it mostly meets at 3pm.
“If a council has predominantly retirees or head executives that are on flexible time arrangements, [meeting times] typically gets set to the majority,” Crackett says.
“So those people that have family and other careers, like myself, it’s always my priority as a councillor, but it doesn’t always make the employer happy.
“Something will arise, and you will have to tend to it and be there, but you’ve got work commitments as well.
“If the meetings were scheduled at more appropriate times for people with families, or young people, then obviously they would be able to participate more.”
Crackett is thankful she has a supportive employer in accountancy firm McIntyre Dick where she is its head of marketing.
The push for more younger representatives around the council table shouldn’t be regarded a jab at those ‘older’ councillors.
They take on a lot by putting themselves up for public scrutiny. Many of them bring qualities, through their experience, that are huge assets to the council and also the city.
In fact, some councillors are actually very strong advocates for the youth. New Invercargill City Councillor Trish Boyle has emerged as one of those as she brings her experience from the education sector to the council table.
Nigel Skelt is another who has often spoken passionately advocating for youth during his three and a bit years as a councillor. As has Darren Ludlow, amongst others.
Despite all that, if half of the population is 37 years or younger, yet the Invercargill City Council only has one person at the council table in that age bracket, something is a little bit skewed, isn’t it?
Will it ever change under the current local government setup?