The Auckland Council is reported to be hoping for more submissions from Māori on a matter of race-based electoral arrangements.
Rather than accept the possibility of indifference, according to RNZ, the Council is perplexed that Maori are not flocking to make submissions on whether to establish Māori seats.
The RNZ report explains:
The council is considering whether to create the number of Māori seats based on the size of the Māori electoral roll, or establish two elected Māori councillors with a third mana whenua seat.
There was also another model altogether.
That’s as much as we are told about “another model altogether”.
Thirty-two of the country’s 78 councils already have Māori seats, RNZ reports, as if to emphasise that there is nothing unusual about the proposals for race-based seats.
But how many of those councils have the equivalent of Auckland’s Independent Māori Statutory Board?
This board’s specific responsibilities and powers under Part 7 of the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009 to promote issues of significance to Māori to Auckland Council.
Its role is to assist Auckland Council to make decisions, perform functions, and exercise powers by:
There was also another model altogether.
That’s as much as we are told about “another model altogether”.
Thirty-two of the country’s 78 councils already have Māori seats, RNZ reports, as if to emphasise that there is nothing unusual about the proposals for race-based seats.
But how many of those councils have the equivalent of Auckland’s Independent Māori Statutory Board?
This board’s specific responsibilities and powers under Part 7 of the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009 to promote issues of significance to Māori to Auckland Council.
Its role is to assist Auckland Council to make decisions, perform functions, and exercise powers by:
- promoting cultural, economic, environmental, and social issues of significance for mana whenua groups and mataawaka of Tāmaki Makaurau.
- ensuring that Auckland Council acts in accordance with the Treaty of Waitangi.
It has two members who sit, with voting rights, on each of the council’s committees that deal with the management and stewardship of natural and physical resources.
The RNZ report today does not mention the Independent Māori Statutory Board or the role it plays in giving Maori a voice.
Furthermore, it short-changes its audience on the magnitude (or lack of it) of the Maori response to the call for submissions.
Council’s manager of governance services Rose Leonard told Morning Report they have had 8000 submissions so far but Māori submissions have been low.
“What we’re a little bit perplexed by is the number of submissions for Māori.”
For Māori – or from Māori?
And where are the figures – in nominal or percentage terms – to enable us to gauge the paucity of this response?
RNZ does report Leonard’s musings on the reason behind the low engagement.
“Not everybody likes what is being proposed so there is quite a bit for Māori to actually discuss and determine amongst themselves.”
It was also simply a busy period for people, including the upcoming election, Leonard said.
Leonard hoped to see more submissions from Māori before consultation ends on 26 October.
She was not reported as saying she wanted to see more submissions from non-Maori.
Especially Asians.
Point of Order mentions the implications for Asians because they account for around 29 per cent of Auckland’s population.
In the 2018 census 181,194 people identified as being of Māori ethnicity, which is just 12 per cent of the city’s population.
Pacific people accounted for 16 per cent of Auckland’s population in 2018.
Has anyone proposed special Asian seats or Pacific seats – and if not, why not?
Please don’t say The Treaty bestows constitutional privileges on one portion of our population.
Point of Order is a blog focused on politics and the economy run by veteran newspaper reporters Bob Edlin and Ian Templeton
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