The People's Choice Party supports
Binding People's Initiated Referendums..
The People's Choice Party believe that Members of Parliament should truly reflect the wishes of the people who voted for them. New Zealanders should be able to have more say on issues that directly affect them. The People's Choice Party believes that Members of Parliament work for New Zealanders, not the other way around. Binding People's Initiated Referendum's put the checks and balances in place making Members of Parliament more answerable and accountable to New Zealanders more than just every three years at a general election. The People's Choice Party believe in making referenda binding on government.
Referendum Objectives
The results of all successful referenda should be binding on the New Zealand Government subject to point 2 below.
A successful referenda result may be vetoed by the vote of 75% of all Members of Parliament within 30 days of the referendum result being declared.
A Referendum Panel should be instituted comprising of three retired High Court Judges with one of the members to be replaced every three years. The Leaders of the three political parties obtaining the highest party vote at the previous general election will each elect one of the Referendum Panel members. The purpose of the Referendum Panel is to approve the wording of any referendum question to make sure it is well focused, not misleading, ambiguous, biased or confusing in any way. This is to be done in consultation with the referendum Initiator but the Referendum Panel will have the final say if all parties can not agree. The Referendum Panel will also approve the wording of the Referendum Pamphlet and Referendum Website which will state the for and against arguments of the referendum issue in a constructive and informative manner.
A government department or a branch of a government department or the Clerk of the House of Representatives office will prepare an objective Referendum Pamphlet and Referendum Website taking into account the referendum Initiators feedback and public feedback, stating the facts for and against the issue of the referendum. The Referendum Pamphlet is to be disseminated to every voter at least 90 days prior to a referendum. The Referendum Website must be available to the public at least 90 days prior to a referendum. The Referendum Pamphlet and Referendum Website must first be approved by the Referendum Panel before being made available to the public.
Any law changed by a referendum can only be changed by another referendum.
The number of signatures required to be collected to trigger a binding referendum will be reduced to 100,000 of those registered on the electoral roll. Switzerland requires only 50,000 signatures to be collected even though they have a population almost twice that of New Zealand.
Conscience Votes in parliament should be abolished. All contentious issues that would have been subject to a conscience vote will be put to a nationwide binding referendum rather than the conscience of a few MP's in a close vote.
There will automatically be binding referenda on all Constitutional changes prior to any changes being made by Parliament.
No international treaty should be adopted until it is ratified by a referendum.
There should be a public right to Recall (remove) any elected official and to hold another election for that position, upon the collection of 100,000 signatures of those registered on the electoral roll.
There should be a spending limit of $100,000 on advertisements published or broadcast in relation to a referendum petition and a further $100,000 on advertisements promoting one of the answers to the precise question to be put to voters in a referendum. Such costs are to be at the expense of the referendum Initiator. Any advertisement published or broadcast either for or against the referendum petition, or for or against one of the answers to the precise question to be put to voters in a referendum, must clearly show the name and address of the person or organisation paying for the advertisement. The penalty for those not staying within these requirements should be a fine of up to $100,000.
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Rusty Kane
Rusty Kane. Born December 2, 1953.
Rusty Kane is a New Zealand advocate for local democracy. Kane has campaigned for the advantages of having independent political representation instead of MPs who are affiliated with major political parties.
His tenacity for this cause, including standing (more than ten times) for election for central government, regional and district councils, and the district health board earned Kane the epithets: Mr tenacious and a stickler for democratic transparency.
Kane with Doug Wilson collect 52,000 signatures as part of Wilson’s 1998 protest walk to Parliament, seeking the removal of the Government. This instigated them forming of The People’s Choice Party in 1999 (Taranaki’s first ever registered political party and NZ’s 21st political party).
Under the People’s Choice banner starting in 1999 until 2022 Rusty stood unsuccessfully in ten elections. The People’s Choice Party was also the first political party to oppose the MMP system of Government. Again in the 2009 Mt Albert by-election Kane campaigned that Citizens initiated Referendums should be binding on the government.
In the 2002 elections, Kane stood as an independent in the Taranaki-King Country seat, and was one of six candidates in the Te Tai Hauauru by-election in 2004.
Mr Kane said: “It’s not about winning. Campaigning is a cost effective way of raising awareness for the efficacy of having an independent Member of Parliament that is not affiliated with a major political party. An independent MP provides better political leverage. As an independent MP is not controlled or beholden to any of the major political parties.”
“Independent candidates don’t have to tow the party line.”
The People’s Choice Party (which de-registered in 2003) was the first political party to field a Pakeha candidate in a Maori Ward (Te Tai Hauauru seat). In 2005 Kane stood in the New Plymouth electorate against Labour incumbent Harry Dyunhoven despite him having the biggest majority in the country. And in the 2008 election he helped National Party candidate Jonathan Young defeat Harry Dyunhoven.
Rusty Kane has strong community ties, particularly in Taranaki. He was part of the Waitara Lease Holders Association from 2004-10. A founding member of C.E.P.R.A (Chemically Exposed Paritutu Residents Association) who helped former power station employees and harbour board workers get free medical health care. He was also part of the Taranaki Dioxin Advisory Group.
Rusty is also an artist and has had several exhibitions including his controversial exhibition “Hands On” in 2006 at the Pune Ariki library foyer, and “Seven Beds and Fourteen Heads.” These exhibitions courted controversy as they were political referencing dioxin contamination.
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