Council chatter revived when the Government announced, four weeks ago, that local communities would regain the right to decide whether to introduce Māori wards.
Since the Ardern government in 2021 removed the right to petition for a vote, 32 councils imposed Māori wards knowing that a large number of their constituents opposed them.
Because recent commentary mostly neglects to give basic facts, or background, this piece may enhance accurate thinking.
A Māori ward or constituency is a change to local body representation where seats are set aside for Māori roll voters.
The number of seats is based on a construct called the “Māori electoral population” in any area, not the number on the Māori roll.
This “Māori electoral population” includes those registered in the Māori electorate, some of those Māori who are not enrolled, plus some Māori too young to vote.
This inflates the number of Māori seats on any council. Only around 50 percent of Māori vote on the Māori roll.
Curiously, a Māori roll candidate does not have to be Māori.
A Māori ward is a voting arrangement, unlike another innovation in which the local mana whenua iwi get to appoint members to vote on council committees.
Councils argue that this is OK since the appointees don’t vote on the main council.
Councils don’t say that council committees frequently vote on decisions on behalf of the full council, and the tribal appointees share in this vote.
Māori wards have existed in local government since 2001, when the Bay of Plenty Regional Council (Maori Constituency Empowering) Act set up three Māori constituencies.
Proponents argued that Māori “deserve” a seat at the table.
This argument is disingenuous. Māori already can have a seat at the table because we can all vie for a council seat if we wish.
The establishment of the Auckland Council in 2010 and the Independent Māori Statutory Board there revived separate Māori seats on councils.
In 2011, the then Human Rights Commissioner, Joris De Bres, wrote to 77 councils, asking them to consider Māori seats in the next six-yearly representation review.
Three councils — Nelson City Council, Wairoa District Council and Waikato District Council —started the process; there were three petitions, and three votes.
A whopping 79 percent opposed proposals in Nelson and Waikato, while 52 percent were against the Wairoa proposal.
In 2017, five councils proposed Māori wards; there were five votes, and five proposals were rejected.
Eighty percent opposed the proposal in Kaikōura, 78 percent voted no in Western Bay of Plenty, 77 percent in Manawatū, 69 percent in Palmerston North, and 56 percent in Whakatāne.
This prompted Local Government New Zealand president Dave Cull to ask party leaders in Parliament to outlaw petitions and votes.
Meanwhile, 80 percent opposed Māori wards on the Hauraki District Council in May 2013, 68 percent voted no to the Far North District Council in March 2015, and 83 percent said no to the New Plymouth District Council in April 2015.
Bear in mind, two councils installed Māori wards after petitions and yes votes.
They were Waikato Regional Council in 2013, and Wairoa District Council in 2016.
In 2020, nine councils proposed Māori wards, and signatures were being collected for nine petitions.
But on February 1, 2021, before votes could proceed, Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced that votes on Māori wards would be outlawed.
The new policy on Māori wards includes holding, next year, binding polls on wards that were established without local referenda.
Changes will take effect in October 2028.
