The Process of a Good System of Governance – 
inspired by the design, structures, systems, cycles and processes of nature, as embodied in a tree.
Beginning as a seed, a deciduous tree is fed from the roots. Feeding the roots is all the microbial activity that goes on in the soil and the interactions between organisms. This is the informal activity that goes on at the local level. It is complex, far reaching, and essential for the function of the roots – the Community Council.
The roots, the Community Governments, are the strength of the tree of governance. This is what is fed by the people, for the people and of the people, and where people can easily interact. This draws its inspiration from the ideas and activities in the local area.
Sortition is a process where people are called on, as in being called for jury service, to give their views on a topic or topics, is a part of the input to the Community Government, as Mycorrhizal fungi give input to the roots.
The roots all feed into the trunk of the tree which is tall and straight and covered by bark. The bark is the outer layer that interacts with the air and the water, and is protective of its growth and inner wisdom. That wisdom comes from the experience of fine weather, drought, forest fires, and insect infestation – all of which can manifest within an organisation or government – and is evident in the tree’s growth rings, or the manifestation of a responsive Regional Council.
The branches reach out to the world, drawing energy from the roots and trunk, and sharing its energy outward. The branches reach to the people, businesses, and other countries. They are strong and staunch at one end and bendy, responsive and flexible at the other. This is the role of the Central Council.
On the branches grow the leaves. This is where the exchange takes place between the atmosphere and the plant, obtained from the soil and the air respectively. The leaves on the branches are the Advisory Council. They ensure that the democratic process is alive and well, and that any legislation truly represents the will of the people and the sovereignty of the country. It represents the guidance contained in the Constitution.
The process of the leaves falling from the tree, breaking down into humus, and nourishing the roots, is the process of the wisdom from the Advisory Council nourishing the whole tree and the community around it.
The rising sap of the tree is the nutrition that is Binding Citizen’s Initiated Referendums (BCIR). It is the cycle that keeps the process and connection from the bottom to the top, and the reverse. The ideas and principles that flourish in the local environment – soil – will be taken to the top of the tree in order to flow outwards.
The blossoms are the result of good government. “Deep in the roots all flowers keep their light.” (Theodore Roethke). The flowers will manifest the beauty of what is happening below ground!
The fruits of good government are fed back into the community.
This system has begun as a seed of an idea that will blossom to a better way of organising and regulating society, while also allowing the blossoming that comes from personal responsibility – including the responsibility that people take when contributing to the society in which they live.
Lisa Er. 11.11. 2014
For a more detailed political description of this system see Chapter 4 of ‘A Visionary Constitution of New Zealand’.
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