Hope in sight for Maori wards

Whakatane District Council. File photo.

Three Whakatane women who led the charge for Maori wards in the district are ecstatic legislation change has been signalled.

Toni Boynton, Mawera Karetai, and Danae Lee say they are stunned and excited to hear that Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta has made removing the poll provisions on Maori wards one of her top priorities.

The three have never given up on their desire to create Maori wards on the Whakatane District Council and were in the midst of planning a petition, when the news came through on Tuesday.

Ms Boynton says it's incredibly unfair how their fight for Maori wards unfolded in 2018 and, although they hadn't given up, this announcement provides hope that fair representation will happen sooner rather than later.

'It's not a race issue, it's an injustice, and it blocks out the voice of a treaty partner within local government.

'This is about recognising privilege in a system built for you by you. I am so happy to see we are moving to a more positive place.”

Maori wards are the only wards in which five per cent of voters can call for a binding poll to overturn a council decision to implement them.

There are no sections within the Local Electoral Act that give voters the same rights to demand a similar poll when a decision is made to create other wards, such as rural.

In late 2017, the Whakatane council voted six to five to implement Maori wards.

However, this decision was overturned in 2018 by a binding poll in which less than 50 per cent of the voting population took part.

The three women campaigned hard during this time and felt the outcome was the 'tyranny of the majority over the minority”.

Even if all registered Maori voted 'yes” in the poll, or in a council election all Maori voted for a Maori candidate in their ward, they simply wouldn't have the numbers to get it passed.

Ms Boynton says on hearing about the proposed legislative change, she felt a sense of relief that other districts wouldn't have to go through the same 'David and Goliath” battle that Whakatane did.

Kaipara and Ruapehu district councils voted recently to establish Maori wards, while Northland Regional Councillor John Bain resigned and walked out of an October meeting during a debate over Maori wards.

He says he could not support a 'broken democracy”.

Ms Lee says the idea that Maori should be, and could be, elected on merit is based in racism and ignores the fact that Maori did not begin on a level playing field with Pakeha.

She says it's inappropriate that white men are overly represented in local government and the motto should be 'nothing about us, without us”.

'Everyone is born into a racist society and it's up to us to overcome it,” she says.

'Unless you're being actively anti-racist, then you are passively upholding racist systems. You have to be actively challenging those systems that keep minorities down, to dismantle them. That can be a tough conversation to have with yourself but it's one worth having.”

Ms Karetai says it's also worth noting that the first-past-the-post system used for council elections favoured the incumbent and did not allow for minority views to be represented in the same way that MMP did.

'It's been well documented that people vote for the familiar,” she says.

'If we have more Maori representation on council, then they are actively decolonising that space just by being there.

"By being present other people are forced to think further about the discussion and decisions that are being made; people have to check themselves.

"There are only benefits to having Maori at the table, no disadvantages. Seeing more Maori faces in decision making places will also encourage more to get involved.”

While there are deeper levels to the fact that Maori struggle to be elected, there is one simple theme and that is racism – something both Ms Karetai and Ms Boynton say they experienced when they ran in the last election.

However, Ms Boynton is now feeling more optimistic about the future and said people only needed to look to the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, the first council to introduce Maori wards, to see a real success story.

She says the community has nothing to lose and everything to gain by introducing Maori wards.

The women remain committed to their planned petition, so it is clear to Government that there is community support.

In the meantime, they would like to mihi all those who helped with the Maori ward fight in 2018 and are looking forward to travelling to Wellington sometime in the future to see the legislation signed.

Councillors opinions

Maori electorates have been a feature of national politics for more than 150 years, but at a local level just three of New Zealand's 78 local authorities have Maori wards – the Bay of Plenty and Waikato regional councils and Wairoa District Council.

The Bay of Plenty Regional Council was the first council to introduce Maori wards and Kohi Maori constituency councillor Toi Iti has welcomed the move to make them easier to introduce.

'I mihi to the minister for her proposed amendments to the Local Electoral Act,” he says.

'The sections in question are unfair, inconsistent, and discriminatory against Maori. They always have been.

'This change has been a long time coming and is indicative of the reforms that this new Government will be rolling out across the local government sector.”

Mr Iti says though Maori wards are not a 'fix-all panacea”, it's a start to get more Maori around council tables before the real mahi begins.

'The mahi is working with the whole community, including councillors and staff, to navigate councils towards being fit-for-purpose organisations that can provide essential services, infrastructure and resource management for the wellbeing of all our communities, Maori and non-Maori alike.

'We will still have to overcome many challenges to get to that place, especially with the shifting-seas we operate in but this is certainly the kind of step-change needed to get the waka in the water.”

Last week, the legislation around Maori wards was raised in the Whakatane District Council chambers by Mayor Judy Turner, who voted in favour of Maori wards in 2017.

Councillors Andrew Iles, Gerard van Beek, and Nandor Tanczos also voted in favour three years ago while Julie Jukes and Alison Silcock voted against.

Whakatane has held two polls on Maori wards, the results of which show favour may be growing in the district.

In 2018, 55 per cent voted against Maori wards while in 2007, 70 per cent voted against.

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6 comments

Opposing Maori Wards is NOT Racist.

Posted on 06-11-2020 12:35 | By morepork

This article contains statements that, if said by White people WOULD be Racist. Whatever the current Minister is hoping to revoke, she hasn't done it yet and I hope she finds strong resistance to doing it. Simply putting some Maori faces around a table does not help Maori; they need to be people capable of doing the job. The existing Democratic mechanisms can help ANY Ethnicity and if Maori want more say, then propose Maori candidates for Council. There is no "partnership" in the Treaty; it is a common misunderstanding, propagated by a "treaty Industry" who have an eye to the main chance. Everybody is equal and there should be no place for privileges based on Race. The idea that Maori are excluded from decision making in this day and age is ridiculous. Maori have the same rights and opportunities as everybody else.


Complete misunderstanding

Posted on 06-11-2020 17:20 | By R. Bell

of the value of Maori seats on council. Inherent racism exemplified by the comment below "simply putting some Maori faces around a table"is typical of the lack of such understanding. No Person of Maori descent representing Maori issues has ever been elected by the Non Maori population. It is impossible. All Councils in N.Z. have a duty to provide Maori representation by Maori for Maori. To claim Maori have the same rights is ridiculous. There is no treaty industry, there is no main chance. Everybody is not equal never have been and hopefully will be, one day soon.


@Robin Bell

Posted on 07-11-2020 12:36 | By morepork

Robin, although we are strongly opposed on this and have argued it in the past, I do respect your views. However, I have to take issue with some points in your response: Maori candidates HAVE been elected to Council in the past and did NOT require "special assistance". It is certainly NOT "impossible", in fact I can immediately think of two Maori candidates I (as a tauiwi) would vote for: Tommy "Kapai" Wilson and Buddy Mikaere, both of whom are doing great work for Maori AND the community and both of whom have more breadth of vision for the future, than a chip on their shoulders from the past. I have studied the Treaty carefully; it does not mention "partnership" in either the Te Reo version or the English version. I believe David Lange reached the same conclusion. As for the "treaty industry" it sadly, does exist, shamefully.


Tom Ranger

Posted on 09-11-2020 16:05 | By Tom Ranger

I've aaall-most lost all faith I once had for the political system long ago. I am skeptical whether it would make any difference either way. It feels to me that govt (Of past and present) globally! Combined with the forceful entrenchment of belief systems have caused the problems for everyone in the "lower" social classes....since forever. Why anyone would trust govt to fix them is beyond me. Those are the same systems that started the damn thing! One thing for sure....our world leaders globally have a lot to answer for. In saying that...there are positives and negatives to everything. But the negatives tend to fall onto the working class or poor. Of any race.


@Tom Ranger

Posted on 12-11-2020 13:22 | By morepork

I read your posts with pleasure and this is no exception. I believe you have a balanced view and we need balanced views if our nation is to grow successfully. You correctly understand that very often poverty is the problem (not necessarily Racism, although that also exists...) and I can see how you are almost at the end of your rope when it comes to Government action. I still see hope, though. Racism has declined in my lifetime; acceptance of diversity is growing, and there are people of goodwill in all Ethnicities, who want a better land for their children. We are an affluent nation; we should certainly be able to look after the basic needs of ALL our people and give help to ANYONE who needs it, without fear or favor. It will get better; we must make it so. Kia Kaha, Tommy!


Try Try and try again,

Posted on 13-11-2020 12:46 | By R. Bell

It is both unreasonable and unrealistic to deny the value of Maori wards. There seems no value to both Morepork and Tom Ranger but there is enormous value to those who cannot be represented by anyone not immersed in Maori issues. No nation formed by the amalgamation of two races can succeed and flourish if the numerically dominant cannot find the maturity to allow the minority partner the dignity of unequal but fair representation. Don't lose hope Tommy democratic government has never been perfect, but it is better than the alternative.


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