Public meeting for Central Otago ratepayers in Alexandra where Challenging Councils NZ founder Mark Quinn will be speaking.

Posted on the recently-formed Central Otago Residents and Ratepayers Forum Facebook page, which has just 233 Facebook members, Mark covered topics relating to council operations and obligations, and described his platform as about “people not politics.”

Based in Roxburgh, Mark said he travelled New Zealand teaching people to challenge councils for the “illegal spending” and advocated for communities to go back to borough councils that the people owned, “not a corporate communist council that the government has created.”

The Facebook page forum had only been formed since February 10 but he hoped to eventually get 10,000 members.

Challenging Councils NZ currently had 4800 followers and on their website it said they were not conspiracy theorists.

Mark said the group he was a part of was different to the new Teviot Valley Residents and Ratepayers group which was currently being formed, and was one of 78 leaders around the country.

Mark’s group hoped that by election time in October, “the current parties find themselves without support as the people under Challenging Councils NZ out number the council so democracy is now reinstated.”

“Mark brings a down to earth facts-based approach to simplify the situation and establish realistic and methodical pathways to hold the obligated and liable accountable and challenge fiscal irresponsibility within district and regional councils,” the website said.

The meeting will be held at the Alexandra Anglican Church on Saturday 22nd February at 2pm.