Hawke’s Bay’s regional elected leaders are at odds with the Government over Māori wards.
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown announced last week that a bill will be introduced to Parliament to “restore the ability for communities to petition their councils to hold binding polls on Māori ward decisions.’’
The bill, should it become law, will see councils required to run a poll as part of their 2025 local body elections asking if residents wish to establish or disestablish Māori wards. The results will take effect from October 2028.
“If councils do not wish to hold a poll, those councils will be given the opportunity to reverse their decision to establish Māori wards or to disestablish those wards prior to the 2025 local body elections,’’ Brown said.
That has not gone down well with Hawke’s Bay regional mayors, who were queried by BayBuzz.
“It is diminishing a complex matter into a tick box exercise and diluting the voice of the very people it affects most,’’ Mayor of Napier Kirtsen Wise said. “The cost of the whole process will be carried by us and our local community and we have no choice about it. It’s a mandatory directive across the country with no care for the nuances, diversity or very particular make-up of the communities it affects.’’
Central Hawke’s Bay Mayor Alex Walker is equally unhappy with the Government’s decision and the process. “I think the change is ridiculous and divisive,’’ Walker said.
She believes that taking decisions on matters, such as Māori wards, away from councillors subverts the “local democratic process”.
“For an additional hurdle of a referendum to be added only for the representation requirements of our voters enrolled on the Māori roll is unfair,’’ said Walker.
“Māori ward structures do not remove any rights or powers or representation for those on the general electoral roll but adding a referendum gives those on the general roll the unfair power to decide for a minority population.
“Would we let our bigger urban environments out-vote a request from our rural areas for a community board or a ward structure to ensure their minority population voice is heard? No.’’
Or, as Hawke’s Bay Regional Council chair Hinewai Ormsby puts it: “Having Māori councillors around the table has added significant value to the work of council. It is disappointing to think we have to go through a costly referendum for something we know works well.’’
The most conciliatory tone was struck by Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst. “Our Heretaunga Hastings Māori ward was established in 2021 following a representation review,’’ Hazlehurst said.
“We consulted with our community and received 2,089 responses – 76 per cent in support of establishing Māori wards. “We fully support and endorse our Māori ward and have valued the relationship and connection with our Māori community that it brings.’’
As for what next? “We are waiting to see exactly what form the bill will take, and in the interim will continue to operate with our Māori ward in place,” said Hazlehurst.
Brown says restoring the right for local referendums on the establishment and continued use of Māori wards is a condition of National’s coalition agreement with ACT and New Zealand First.
“The Coalition Government’s view is that any decision to establish or disestablish a Māori ward is one that should remain with communities,’ said Brown. “This does not affect councils’ responsibilities to consult with mana whenua on issues that affect them.”
For Wise, though, this decision represents the thin end of the wedge. She says the Napier City Council “overwhelmingly supported the implementation of Māori wards’’ and sought as many opinions as possible before establishing them.
“The five-month consultation period in 2021 resulted in 1300 submissions being made,” said Wise. “The facts are that half of the written responses ticked the box against Māori Wards, but 95 per cent of those on the Māori roll submitted in favour. “All those who spoke to their submissions over the two-day hearings were in favour of Māori wards.
“This is a decision that affects mana whenua and tangata whenua more than any other group and hearing their voice is more important than a tick box exercise from people who aren’t directly impacted.’’
This difference of opinion between local and central government comes at an interesting time.
The territorial authorities need significant government investment if Hawke’s Bay’s post-cyclone rebuild is to proceed and this issue has the potential to strain relationships.
“This is just a distraction when we are so focused on cyclone recovery, huge delivery needs across core infrastructure and massive affordability challenges for our community from rates increases,’’ said Walker.
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Good to see our local government leaders speaking out against this unnecessary interference and ‘overreach’ from central government. As Mayor Alex Walker stated:
“Would we let our bigger urban environments out-vote a request from our rural areas for a community board or a ward structure to ensure their minority population voice is heard? No.’’
So why do it for Māori wards?
This decision by Central Government (at least the ACT and NZFirst part of it) seems to be dangerously close to racist dogma. National will be affected by that viewpoint as well by association. This is a stupid piece of legislation in so very many ways. National would be well advised to have it cancelled altogether otherwise it will be seen that a small percentage of the Government (ACT & NZFirst) are running the show – far beyond their small voting base warrants.
It is a shame that Mayors and Councillors think that they can play fast and loose with democracy. They believe that they can “consult” and then do what they like. It is the peoples right to say who their representatives will be. Councillors are elected to represent all their constituents including all races. With only about 50% of Maori on the Maori electoral roll one has to question how democratically representative using that tool is. Maori are well represented in local and central government and are quite capable of making their voices heard. Councils also consult closely with Maori as a matter of course. Some councils have held referendum for the creation of Maori wards and the community have approved them. The Government respects those communities democratic right to choose. Other councils (like those in this article) have decided to by pass democracy, go through consultation, what ever that is, and then decide. They will now need to confirm, through a referendum, whether their decision was the democratic will of the people. Like Maxine Boag said recently, “having Maori wards is not undemocratic” but having councils / councillors decide who our representatives will be is certainly undemocratic.
Is it the tail wagging the dogma?
Or the dogma wagging the tail?
Yes, who is running the country? I wouldn’t expect the National party to want to initiate such racist legislation, they are trying to build relationships with Māori, not try and chuck them off Councils.
This backward move to demand city-wide referenda to allow us to add one or two councillors to represent voters on the Māori roll will be creating not only conflict but wasting needed time and money.
I don’t think that’s what Christopher Luxon wants, and nor do we.
There are many benefits of having Māori on councils. As HBRC Chair Hinewai Ormsby says, “Having Māori councillors around the table has added significant value to the work of council. It is disappointing to think we have to go through a costly referendum for something we know works well.’’
Local government is required by law to work beside Māori; but without Māori wards, the relationship is weak and unbalanced. With wards, we can work side by side at the decision making table in harmony.
We don’t need a referendum to tell us that.
And in response to Alan Dunstow, we do not have to hold referenda to change our electoral system in ANY OTHER WAY – just for Māori wards! Your council, in their wisdom, could decide that next election, the city will have 20 wards each with 2 councillors, or 2 wards with 1 councillor only plus the Mayor, and legally no referenda is required!! (There are appeal mechanisms through the Electoral Commission to challenge these) So what’s the problem?? Your council should have the right to introduce them, and you can appeal it. And why shouldnt those on the Māori roll elect their own representatives as they do for Parliament? This strengthens our democracy, and helps us make sustainable decisions with strong community support. Māori are significant participants in our economy, our community and our city as a whole. We all benefit from working together.
I believe a multicultural society is best served by democracy based on proportional representation. Ethnocracy is the antithesis of that proposal and is particularly suspect when identification with any particular culture is decided by personal whim. I refer of course to the reported DNA survey of Willie Jackson. Governance based on such loosely defined principles is doomed to failure. Universal suffrage is a much more robust concept.