Opinion piece - Ken is feeling a little left out.

Opinion piece by Frank Newman 

Oh dear, Ken is feeling a little left out.

In a half-page advertisement in today’s Northern Advocate, Ken says he’s upset that I, as editor of LETTERBOX, did not send him an email asking whether he supports or opposes Maori wards and Co-governance.

The reason is not hard to find. It was explained in the latest issue of LETTERBOX, but Ken is a regular reader and he should have known that. Issue 33 states:

Opinion piece by Frank Newman: THE PODIUM OF PROMISES

A 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐍𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐮 (Thursday, 15th August) reminded me why so few people engage in local politics. It was underwhelming and, in hindsight, less attractive than an evening in front of the telly.

The public, of course, was smart enough to know that, which would explain why so few attended. Those who were present were largely candidate hangers-on, with a fair number of greenies adoring the Saints of Wokeness who spoke from the podium of promises.

Before us were candidates for the mayoralty and ward candidates from the NRC and WDC, general and Maori wards (although none of the NRC Maori ward candidates turned up).

Most of the speakers started by attempting to demonstrate an empathetic connection with the local community, like how their second cousin's grandfather used to collect kai moana from a local beach. Most said it with sincerity, which suggested they actually thought we might be interested. And I guess, those who want to know about irrelevant nonsense would have found it interesting.

Retiring councillor drops bombshell on the "Woke Seven"

Phil Halse is retiring after 33 years on the Whangarei District Council (WDC). LETTERBOX has obtained a copy of a tell-all interview he had with Concerned Ratepayers of Whangarei (CROW). Here are extracts.

When asked, who is driving the woke agenda within the council, he replied, “A group of seven who are working together: Deb Harding, Scott McKenzie, Nicholas Connop, Patrick Holmes, Phoenix Ruka, Carol Peters, and Ken Couper…Because we have that woke block at the top, every time it gets hard, they take the soft option.”

Anyone but Ken

 

It is not often LETTERBOX agrees with WDC Cr Ken Couper, but we do agree with what he said in his election blurb in the Bream Bay News recently:

“The message from our community is clear: rate increases must be affordable, fair and justifiable.”

This certainly is the message the community is giving and has been giving for some time. The difficulty we have is reconciling Ken’s words with his voting record.  In 2024 Ken voted for a 10.9% rate increase and another 17.2% increase in 2025. This is despite 87% of the public who submitted to the 2025 Annual Plan opposing the increase. Most suggested 6% was affordable, fair, and justifiable.

The voting record does not lie

The voting record does not lie. 

Eleven of the 14 elected representatives on the WDC are seeking re-election. We are astounded by the disconnect between the election promises being made by some candidates and their voting record.  Actions speak louder than election waffle, so LETTERBOX has tabulated the way the mayor and councillors have voted on critical decisions.

Security called to remove "disruptive" councillor

Security was called to remove a “disruptive” councillor from the debating chamber during the fluoride debate. Waipu ward councillor Ken Couper was ordered from the chamber following a terse exchange with Mayor Cocurullo, but refused to do so, saying, “you will have to physically remove me”.  The Mayor adjourned the meeting for 10 minutes, which resumed without the disruptive Cr Couper.

We cannot recall a previous occasion where security has been called to remove a member from the chamber. While councillors sometimes have acrimonious exchanges, very rarely does it escalate to the point of calling security to remove a belligerent councillor from a meeting. 

Tory Whanau Disaster

Veteran journalist, Barry Soper, recently asked, “How did Tory Whanau get the Wellington mayoralty?”

It’s a question that many are asking and the answer is relevant to Whangarei.

Barry says, “It's the same reason why one of the country's most revered mayors in recent years, Dame Kerry Prendergast, lost her nine-year grip on the city's mayoralty to another unfathomable choice, Celia Wade-Brown. It's not because both Whanau and Wade-Brown are Greens and it's not because both of them love cycleways, despite vocal ratepayer opposition to the amount of money being spent on Wellington cycleways. It's because of the single transferrable voting system (STV) that saw them winning against all odds. It's the system where you vote for candidates on a preferential system, where once a quota's been reached for a candidate, they drop out and the votes for the second preference kicks in - and so on until a winner is found.”

Cr Ken Couper - voting record

 

HOW THEY VOTED

Cr Ken Couper(Bream Bay Ward)