The desire of Mayor Webber and some WBOPDC councillors to introduce Maori wards was roundly trounced by a district-wide referendum which clearly showed that citizens and ratepayers views were very different from the aspirations of the Mayor.

Having lost that round, the same team have decided to get rid of the five democratically elected community boards and substitute them with community committees which will be made up of 'appointments' made solely by the Mayor's team.

Should this 'back door' choice of representation based on Mayor/Councillor choice go ahead, democracy will be gone and Mayor Webber will have achieved his personal wish for unelected persons to grace his council table.

Democracy is not easy to navigate but it is far superior to the tyranny of dictatorship.

Ratepayers within existing community board areas could lose their voice if Mayor Webber's proposition succeeds.

M Anderson, Pyes Pa.