The Commissioners might be happy to wait, I suspect

Environment Canterbury in New Zealand just gets better and better and Fiji is now introduced as an insult to political discourse!

"The Government has cancelled an October regional council election, depriving 378,512 Kiwis of a vote for the next 3 1/2 years.

Legislation reforming Environment Canterbury was introduced to Parliament last night under urgency, prompting a furious debate and accusations of 'a constitutional outrage'.

'Those people will be lucky to get a vote before the people of Fiji,' Green Party co-leader Russel Norman said.

Environment Minister Nick Smith and Local Government Minister Rodney Hide announced yesterday that the 14 elected ECan councillors would be replaced by up to seven commissioners.

Dame Margaret Bazley will lead the commissioners and her colleagues will be appointed by Mr Hide. The Government expected the commissioners would be ready to take over on May 1.

Elections scheduled for October have been scrapped and will not be held until October 2013, unless the commissioners are happy to finish their work earlier."