I agree with the statement in 29 Oct Faulkner's Corner, that there is a need for better understanding of council's function and business.
However, when stating that the Acts under which councils are required to operate not mentioning wards, boundaries or selected areas of the city, this does not I believe ‘mocks democracy' or ‘highlights the ward system as a mechanism of minority government'.
For example, in national elections we have electorates (comparable to our wards) that do not use an 'at large” system which Councillor Faulkner favours for us, where all citizens would vote for all the 120 politicians for parliament.
While the national system has the additional complication of party politics, it doesn't follow that it or our ward system, highlights the (ward/electorate) system as a mechanism of minority government.
Effective government within a democracy, local or central, depends upon selecting quality people of integrity, leadership ability and commitment to develop a partnership with the citizens.
Such personal qualities are more easily identified when citizens can meet, listen and question candidates, and the smaller numbers involved under the ward system better allows for this to happen and so strengthens democracy.
Hugh Hughes, Tauranga.