This is unless the coalition government waters down or withdraws the Local Electoral (Maori Wards and Maori Constituencies) Amendment Bill, which is currently under attack from Maori wards supporters during submissions.
Each council must decide during a “transitional period”, which is the weeks between the time when the bill becomes law, which could be July 31, and September 6.
The Maori wards story goes back to 1996, when the Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s Maori Committee asked for seats for Maori roll voters resembling the Maori seats in Parliament.
Maori roll voters make up around 10 percent of total enrolled voters in most areas.
Three Maori constituencies were set up on that council courtesy of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council (Maori Constituency Empowering) Act 2001.
Maori wards (for district and unitary councils) and Maori constituencies (for regional councils) were incorporated in the Local Government Act 2002, with clauses enabling affected residents to petition for binding polls.
From 2011 to 2020, there were 11 proposals, 11, petitions, and 11 votes that went substantially against them, some over 80 percent against.
When nine such proposals appeared in 2020, and signatures were collected for nine petitions, the previous government outlawed petitions and polls, taking effect immediately.
The restoration of such petitions and polls formed part of the platform upon which the coalition government was elected on, and the Local Electoral (Maori Wards and Maori Constituencies) Amendment Bill is the implementation of that promise.
Evidence that the 45 councils are not happy that citizens are once again permitted to have a say on this issue appeared in a letter to the Prime Minister, Ministers, and party leaders signed by 54 mayors, chairs, and councillors.
The letter, dated May 25, argued that restoring polls was “overreach” by central government, and that “Maori wards and constituencies should be treated like all other wards and that decisions should be made at the council level”.
Every council that imposed such wards since 2020 without a poll knows that they have been voted down 11 times out of 11.
Those 54 mayors, chairs, and councillors never complained of central government overreach when former Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced that some democratic rights of local affected residents were curtailed.
Concerned residents and ratepayer groups around the country have already been discussing the next step. Here’s what could be done. You should talk to your councillors, now!
First find out where your council stands. This may be done by locating your council, or councils, on the lists below.
Group 1 lists those councils that established Maori wards for the 2022 local election and currently have them up and running.
Those councils may choose to disestablish their Maori wards.
Group 2 lists those councils that have decided to establish Maori wards for the 2025 local election.
Those councils may choose to rescind their decision to establish Maori wards.
Group 1 local authorities
• If councils in Group 1 do disestablish, there will be no Maori ward in the 2025 local election and the council does not have to hold a poll.
• If those council do not disestablish, the existing Maori ward continues for another three years and the council must hold a binding poll at next year’s local election.
• The poll will take effect at the 2028 local election.
• If there is a yes vote, the Maori ward will proceed for the second of its two triennial terms with the demonstrable support of the local community.
• If there is a no vote, the Maori ward will proceed for a further three years, without support.
Group 2 lists those councils that have decided to establish Maori wards for the 2025 local election.
• If councils in Group 2 do rescind, the Maori ward will not proceed and the council does not have to hold a poll.
• If those council do not rescind, the Maori ward proceeds and the council must hold a binding poll at next year’s local election.
• The poll will take effect at the 2028 local election.
• If there is a yes vote, the Maori ward will proceed for two terms with the support of the local community.
• If there is a no vote, the Maori ward will proceed for one term without the support of the local community.
Once you find your councils on the lists you will know the exact message you need to deliver to your councillor during August.
Wise councils could spare themselves uncertainty and aggravation by simply disestablishing their new Maori wards or rescinding their decisions to do so.
That would restore councils and their constituents to the position they were in before Mahuta’s meddling.
Maori wards proponents argue that the “Maori voice” should be heard at the council level. It was unclear what that “Maori voice” had to say.
At least, that was until Te Pati Maori leader Rawiri Waititi identified a “Maori voice” in his response to the Budget when he declared that “Te Tiriti o Waitangi demands that tangata whenua secures 50 percent of the resources and the decision-making power”.
If that’s “the Maori voice” that advocates think should be at the council table, few would be willing to allocate 50 percent of ratepayers’ money and political power to around 10 percent of the voting population.
Look over the lists, see where your councils stand and let them know what you think.
If your councils do nothing now, they will have to face a Maori wards poll next year while they are all campaigning to be re-elected. That means all candidates would have to say where they stand on Maori wards, and voters may vote accordingly.
Let’s see how that works out.
Maori roll voters make up around 10 percent of total enrolled voters in most areas.
Three Maori constituencies were set up on that council courtesy of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council (Maori Constituency Empowering) Act 2001.
Maori wards (for district and unitary councils) and Maori constituencies (for regional councils) were incorporated in the Local Government Act 2002, with clauses enabling affected residents to petition for binding polls.
From 2011 to 2020, there were 11 proposals, 11, petitions, and 11 votes that went substantially against them, some over 80 percent against.
When nine such proposals appeared in 2020, and signatures were collected for nine petitions, the previous government outlawed petitions and polls, taking effect immediately.
The restoration of such petitions and polls formed part of the platform upon which the coalition government was elected on, and the Local Electoral (Maori Wards and Maori Constituencies) Amendment Bill is the implementation of that promise.
Evidence that the 45 councils are not happy that citizens are once again permitted to have a say on this issue appeared in a letter to the Prime Minister, Ministers, and party leaders signed by 54 mayors, chairs, and councillors.
The letter, dated May 25, argued that restoring polls was “overreach” by central government, and that “Maori wards and constituencies should be treated like all other wards and that decisions should be made at the council level”.
Every council that imposed such wards since 2020 without a poll knows that they have been voted down 11 times out of 11.
Those 54 mayors, chairs, and councillors never complained of central government overreach when former Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced that some democratic rights of local affected residents were curtailed.
Concerned residents and ratepayer groups around the country have already been discussing the next step. Here’s what could be done. You should talk to your councillors, now!
First find out where your council stands. This may be done by locating your council, or councils, on the lists below.
Group 1 lists those councils that established Maori wards for the 2022 local election and currently have them up and running.
Those councils may choose to disestablish their Maori wards.
Group 2 lists those councils that have decided to establish Maori wards for the 2025 local election.
Those councils may choose to rescind their decision to establish Maori wards.
Group 1 local authorities
Far North District CouncilGroup 2 local authorities
Gisborne District Council
Hamilton City Council
Hastings District Council
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council
Horowhenua District Council
Kaipara District Council
Manawatu District Council
Manawatū-Whanganui Regional Council
Marlborough District Council
Masterton District Council
Matamata-Piako District Council
Nelson City Council
New Plymouth District Council
Northland Regional Council
Ōtorohanga District Counci
Palmerston North City Council
Porirua City Council
Rangitikei District Council
Rotorua District Council
Ruapehu District Council
South Taranaki District Council
Stratford District Council
Taranaki Regional Council
Tararua District Council
Taupo District Council
Tauranga City Council
Waikato District Council
Waipa District Council
Wellington City Council
Whakatane District Council
Whangarei District Council
Central Hawke’s Bay District CouncilGroup 1 lists those councils that established Maori wards for the 2022 local election and currently have them up and running.
Hauraki District Council
Hutt City Council
Kapiti Coast District Council
Kawerau District Council
Napier City Council
South Wairarapa District Council
Tasman District Council
Thames-Coromandel District Council
Upper Hutt City Council
Wellington Regional Council
Western Bay of Plenty District Council
Whanganui District Council
• If councils in Group 1 do disestablish, there will be no Maori ward in the 2025 local election and the council does not have to hold a poll.
• If those council do not disestablish, the existing Maori ward continues for another three years and the council must hold a binding poll at next year’s local election.
• The poll will take effect at the 2028 local election.
• If there is a yes vote, the Maori ward will proceed for the second of its two triennial terms with the demonstrable support of the local community.
• If there is a no vote, the Maori ward will proceed for a further three years, without support.
Group 2 lists those councils that have decided to establish Maori wards for the 2025 local election.
• If councils in Group 2 do rescind, the Maori ward will not proceed and the council does not have to hold a poll.
• If those council do not rescind, the Maori ward proceeds and the council must hold a binding poll at next year’s local election.
• The poll will take effect at the 2028 local election.
• If there is a yes vote, the Maori ward will proceed for two terms with the support of the local community.
• If there is a no vote, the Maori ward will proceed for one term without the support of the local community.
Once you find your councils on the lists you will know the exact message you need to deliver to your councillor during August.
Wise councils could spare themselves uncertainty and aggravation by simply disestablishing their new Maori wards or rescinding their decisions to do so.
That would restore councils and their constituents to the position they were in before Mahuta’s meddling.
Maori wards proponents argue that the “Maori voice” should be heard at the council level. It was unclear what that “Maori voice” had to say.
At least, that was until Te Pati Maori leader Rawiri Waititi identified a “Maori voice” in his response to the Budget when he declared that “Te Tiriti o Waitangi demands that tangata whenua secures 50 percent of the resources and the decision-making power”.
If that’s “the Maori voice” that advocates think should be at the council table, few would be willing to allocate 50 percent of ratepayers’ money and political power to around 10 percent of the voting population.
Look over the lists, see where your councils stand and let them know what you think.
If your councils do nothing now, they will have to face a Maori wards poll next year while they are all campaigning to be re-elected. That means all candidates would have to say where they stand on Maori wards, and voters may vote accordingly.
Let’s see how that works out.
4 comments:
"Look over the lists, see where your councils stand and let them know what you think."
Well, some of us have but the latest we've seen from FNDC was that their proposals for representation in the current review have remained unchanged. Quite unsurprising since the Council, which is over-represented by one certain sub-section of the population, has openly declared it will resist the coalition government on the subject of Maori wards and for that matter much else besides. Kerikeri was declared a bilingual town (shock horror - no one asked the populace). There is a pile of rocks at the main entry point to the town from SH10, some might say that the rocks are between the ears of those who decided to spend money on this but hey-ho, they were voted in and must know what is best for us the ratepayers. Here's hoping the coalition resolves to speed up the timescales mentioned in the pending legislation, Mahuta introduced it with undue haste ergo the cure should be equally swift in its implementation. It would have made far more sense if they had been declared null and void immediately the coalition came to power given Mahuta's insidious actions.
Why does Luxon et al not just get rid of the whole outrageous concept. Now.
I live in Waipa, a council renowned for consulting on everything.
They voted unanimously for Māori wards in 2022, without any consultation
More than half of the Māori population are on the general roll and despite about 2500 eligible voters the overwhelming winner only garnered 309 votes.
Within a few months he resigned as he became a struck off lawyer, creating an expensive bye election.
It is abundantly apparent that Māori don't care and are likely to make poor choices.
In Kapiti, the council sent out a poll for Maori wards. The results came in with a resounding no. We were then informed by Kapiti Council that they were going to go ahead anyway. They explained the vote was more important for Kapiti's rangathi, who can't vote, and insinuated they knew best anyway...disgusting
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