NZ Local Government Magazine features an article on ethics - questioning where ethics, and its associated values, sit within the ways of working of local government in New Zealand.

Sound! Lights! Action! Lawyers? is written by Jane Arnott, MNZM, Director of The Ethics Conversation. The article cites a number of examples of councils spending considerable sums of ratepayers' money on investigations and in defence of errors and/or missteps. It includes reference to the experience of the Waikato family whose plight and campaign you are supporting.

Her thoughts suggest a pathway for better representation, better governance and importantly better outcomes for ratepayers and consituents.

"...it is not unreasonable that watchful ratepayers demand that council managers dramatically improve both their discretionary decision-making and leadership. So too, processes around induction, training and development and code related ethics and compliance, all of which appear under-valued and under-utilised."  

Of course it is an issue for the private sector as well.

It just takes leadership...

What do we get? So far... the sound of crickets.