While preparations are in place for a Maori Ward poll in Tauranga, legislation before parliament may result in the poll being cancelled.
Tauranga City Council Electoral Officer Warwick Lampp is continuing with preparations for a poll of electors on the establishment of a Maori Ward for the local government elections in 2022.
'As it stands, a valid petition signed by five per cent of registered electors has been received, which requires a binding poll be held on the Maori Ward proposal,” says Lampp.
'However, following the announcement by the Minister of Local Government Nanaia Mahuta on February 1, a new bill has been introduced to Parliament which would remove the provision for a poll on the establishment of Maori wards from the Local Electoral Act 2001.
'Should that bill be passed into law, this poll would be cancelled.”
In the meantime, Lampp says the existing legislation means the council is obliged to continue preparations for the poll, including publication of a public notice and providing for an update of the electoral rolls for the city.
In the event that the Local Electoral (Maori Wards and Maori Constituencies) Amendment Bill is not passed into law, voting papers would be mailed out to registered voters on April 16 and voting would close on Saturday, May 8.
Public submissions on the Bill closed at 5pm yesterday.
33 comments
Back door
Posted on 12-02-2021 11:02 | By Let's get real
Telling all young Maori that they're just not good enough to foot it with anyone in a fair and Democratic contest, so we're going to open a back door for you to sneak in.... Rather than marching in through the front door with your head held high. Please don't complain about not being treated equally....
choice
Posted on 12-02-2021 11:03 | By dumbkof2
mahutas law is the beginning of the end to freedom of choice in this country. govt dosn't like something, change the law. goodbye labour at the next election
Divide and Conquer ....
Posted on 12-02-2021 12:14 | By Equality
.... would seem to be the agenda for M. Mahuta. A work in progress - and seemingly, working very well for her! Scary!
Maori Wards do not affect Pakeha
Posted on 12-02-2021 13:45 | By Peter Dey
Why do Pakeha make such an irrational fuss about something that does not actually affect them? Democracy in NZ now requires Pakeha to treat Maori fairly. (The Treaty is NZ Law). If Maori want Maori Wards it is democratic to allow them. Nanaia Mahuta is simply democratically preventing the Pakeha majority from being undemocratically unfair to Maori.
Mahuta a Radical
Posted on 12-02-2021 15:00 | By crazyhorse
Talk about let a fox look after the chickens, Ardern has given a Maori radical free reign in her govt and getting rid of the last obstacle in anything Maori want, to be given is gone, totally disgusting and undemocratic a separatist/socialist govt that has no respect for it's the general population.
Dey
Posted on 12-02-2021 15:13 | By Equality
Please name me just one instance in which you believe maori do not have the same chance in life as a person from any other ethnicity in NZ.
@Equality
Posted on 12-02-2021 17:09 | By morepork
You are right. It IS scary. I have been heartsick over it, watching democracy being demolished after so many people (of all ethnicities) fought and died to establish it. But I cheered up a bit when I read the letter in last Weekend's Sun (Feb 5th) from a Maori reader, (I. Te Wiata Wright.) He/she opens with: "Nania Mahuta's racist mentality regarding Maori Wards..." and closes with: "Of proud Maori descent, to call me 'racist' is tiresome and rhetorical. Maori don't need another hand-out or leg-up..." I'm glad there are Maori who can see it too, and R. Bell and Peter Dey do not speak for ALL Maori. (I do not claim to speak for all non-Maori...)
Peter
Posted on 12-02-2021 18:39 | By Angels
Democracy says , no race,religion,etc. all run on the same platform on a equal basis.majority wins. Not a race based given seat. Racism in the highest level We then must have Asian seat,European seats,Indians seat etc etc. if we are going to play that game. Let the public vote on race based seats. Why are you and the politicians scared of democracy. No one should be given a say over the population without a democratic vote. Maori seat is racism to the max!!! Majority must protest go to the streets to stop this craziness, best yet watch the next election ,
Morepork,
Posted on 13-02-2021 08:48 | By R. Bell
You named me in your post, so I feel compelled to reply. Neither Peter or myself speak for Maori, we speak AGAINST the irrational nationalistic anti Maori factions who consistently disgrace our own race, based on nothing more than the misrepresentation of what a minority representation for our founding partners will bring. Already proven to be invaluable in councils in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty. Scary!!! you have got to be joking, but sadly you're not. We need, now more than ever, to purge the far right that has devastated the US as badly as the far left devastated many other countries. Inclusion at all levels is our only way forward.
Equality Maori Wards are just fair representation and do no affect Pakeha
Posted on 13-02-2021 09:35 | By Peter Dey
Equality, chances in life is irrelevant to fair representation. Modern Democracy worldwide recognizes that majorities should treat minorities fairly. That is the heart of Black Lives Matter in the USA. Maori communities want Maori Wards. They make no difference to Pakeha. Nanaia Mahuta is democratically preventing the Pakeha majority from treating Maori unfairly.
Back Door, not a fair and even contest
Posted on 13-02-2021 10:31 | By Peter Dey
Back Door, Local Body elections are not a fair and even contest. Pakeha voters prefer to vote for Pakeha candidates and Pakeha voters outnumber Maori voters 4 to 1. There has been no Maori candidate elected in Tauranga elections for the past 20 years. That is not fair representation for Maori. Claims of racism, separatism, division, apartheid, inequality, and not democracy, are all misinformation and misuse of English language by people cannot justify the wrong language that they use.
Let's get real, it's about communities not individuals
Posted on 13-02-2021 10:55 | By Peter Dey
Lets get real, Maori Wards are about the democratic right of Maori communities, under the Treaty of Waitangi, to have fair representation on Local Bodies. It is not a message to young Maori that they are not good enough as individuals.
More Morepork
Posted on 13-02-2021 12:08 | By Ceem
Well done for highlighting the letter from Te Wiata Wright in last Sundays Sun. She/he clearly will not be on either R Bell's or Peter Dey's Christmas card list and will not, I imagine, be unduly worried. Incidently Mr Dey if "The Treaty is NZ Law" which version are you referring to, as if we didn't know.
Ceem, the Treaty of Waitangi Act has both English and Maori Treaty versions
Posted on 13-02-2021 13:40 | By Peter Dey
Ceem, the Treaty of Waitangi Act has both English and Maori Treaty versions. Incidently Ceem, Lana Wright seems mistaken in describing Nanaia Mahuta as racist. The Maori Wards bill makes no claim that Maori are superior, which would be racism. It simply and democratically prevents the Pakeha majority from being undemocratically unfair to Maori communities who are at present, like in Tauranga, not represented on local councils.
Fairness
Posted on 13-02-2021 13:52 | By Kancho
A relative term . I have worked alongside many Maori in fact they were a majority of where I worked in one place, and they flourished just like anyone of any race. I never saw any unfair treatment nor any problems at all we were all equal and all got on well together.. So not sure why fair treatment is an issue.? Statistically their are problems for Maori but that is not from lack of opportunities certainly in my time of observations. I worked in tertiary education and again no barriers to Maori . Life doesn't guarantee fairness for any people so a law won't change that either. Instances of unfairness ? Or something else all together ?
Kancho, no Maori community representation on the Tauranga Council for the past 20 years
Posted on 13-02-2021 14:12 | By Peter Dey
Kancho, Maori communities not represented on local councils is unfairness to Maori, in the case of Tauranga for the past 20 years. You refer to the absence of unfairness between individuals but that is not what Nanaia Mahuta's bill is about. Over recent times the print media has had regular articles regarding unfairness to Maori. Do you have some way of not noticing them?
Diversity.
Posted on 13-02-2021 14:57 | By morepork
Auckland is now probably the most diverse city in the world with around 200 different Ethnicities, exceeding London and Sydney. No race riots, no cops brutalizing and killing minorities, just, as Kancho noted, no "problems at all we were all equal and all got on well together.. " It is a beacon for what we CAN be and it is the "Kiwi" way: "A fair go for ALL..." HUGE progress HAS been made but there are some who either can't or won't see it. Wards are divisive and unnecessary.
@R. Bell
Posted on 13-02-2021 15:12 | By morepork
Robin, it has become obvious that there are issues we will never agree on and I'm sorry about that. I do see the demolition of a democratic right as scary and I'm not just saying that. Many others share my concern and this action has set race relations back, rather than pressing them forward. Modern Maori are more than capable of representing themselves, and growing numbers are realizing it. I will resist the far right as hard as you will and we should never see Trumpism here. But we don't need McCarthyism either. Fairness for ALL. The only hope and the Kiwi way. Your last sentence gives me some hope, thank you.
P. Dey
Posted on 13-02-2021 15:55 | By Equality
I am waiting for a reply to my previous question to you - being: 'Please name me just one instance in which you believe maori do not have the same chance in life as a person from any other ethnicity in NZ'. Question is too difficult?
Kancho,
Posted on 13-02-2021 18:01 | By R. Bell
It seems you are determined to ignore facts. This problem is not about our individual experience of working with or having a beer with a few Maori people. It is about representative justice for the Maori community. You are dead right about life being unfair, that is why currently you and your friends will have to suck it up a little.
Morepork,
Posted on 14-02-2021 08:25 | By R. Bell
thanks for your rational reply. There is nothing to be scared of, believe me. The bill introduced by Nanaia Mahuta is simply an interim bill. It will be debated in full before becoming law or not. Perhaps you can explain how 'fairness for all" embraces the fact that our treaty partners cannot share the table in local body politics, without abandoning their own world view and becoming brown skinned pakeha wannabes. It cannot work and if you lot get your way simply on a point of principle, the division you talk about will become permanent.
Equality, not too difficult just irrelevant
Posted on 14-02-2021 08:26 | By Peter Dey
Equality, you miss the point. Maori Wards are a way to provide fair representation for Maori communities. Fair treatment of individuals is a different matter, and by wanting to debate individuals you are deliberately avoiding the issue of unfairness to communities.
Seems an impasse
Posted on 14-02-2021 08:32 | By Kancho
I see everything from personal experience. I see no difference between Maori or European or any other people's from many cultures. I see no difference in fairness of availability to opportunities to anyone. I see people struggling with problems and Maori statistically more so but it's not about fairness of systems or law. Fought for Democracy is a one vote being equal to any other and is the best fairest system devised in hundreds countries for hundreds of years. I can't see a case to alter democracy that is already all inclusive with multiple minorities. Wards representatives are democratic not appointed by race
Morepork, referendums are a right misused undemocratically
Posted on 14-02-2021 08:35 | By Peter Dey
Morepork, you describe referendums to block Maori Wards as a democratic right. However they have been used unfairly and undemocratically by the Pakeha majority. Can you explain why preventing fair representation for Maori is democratic?
Angels, NZ democracy has the Treaty of Waitangi which is race based but not racist
Posted on 14-02-2021 09:23 | By Peter Dey
Angels, the Treaty of Waitangi is NZ Law. It is race based but not racist. It does not make Pakeha or Maori superior. It is not an agreement between Asians or Indians only Maori, and still applies. It is a democratic partnership between Maori and Government requiring fair treatment. That is all that Maori Wards are, not racist, not undemocratic.
Kancho, Maori Wards are democratic
Posted on 14-02-2021 10:02 | By Peter Dey
Describing Maori Wards as undemocratic is a misuse of the word. With Maori Wards everybody still has one equal vote. That is democracy. Democracy is government FOR the people, and in the case of NZ the Treaty requires recognition of Maori communities and fair representation for them.
Kancho,
Posted on 14-02-2021 10:30 | By R. Bell
perhaps your visual overview is lacking, that's possible. If you see no difference in people of other ethnicities, it is just possible that your desire for everyone to "be the same" overrides reality. Democracy is not a stable system, it constantly changes, remember this law we are debating was only introduced "in its flawed way" about 20 yrs ago. Life is about far more than personal experience that is why we have values such as empathy, consideration, understanding and the greatest gifts of all personal honesty and integrity. You and I and all the other debaters have absolutely nothing to lose by endorsing Maori wards, but everything to gain from a more inclusive Maori community.
In NZ race based decisions are not racist, not separatist, not undemocratic
Posted on 14-02-2021 12:09 | By Peter Dey
NZ as a nation began with the Treaty of Waitangi. It is race based but not racist (neither Maori nor Pakeha are superior), not separatist (it is an agreement to work together), not undemocratic (Maori and Pakeha have equal voting rights). Maori Wards are simply a non-racist, non-separatist, democratic method of being fair to Maori communities.
@Peter Dey (my last on this.)
Posted on 14-02-2021 13:29 | By morepork
"...referendums to block Maori Wards..."?! That is NOT why there is a referendum. It is to determine the feeling of the majority of people in a community about an issue that affects that community. You assume it won't go your way (and, in this case you are probably right) but the counter to that is to make a proper case and persuade the community to your point of view. However you have already decided the community is Racist and can't be persuaded. Your OWN prejudice projected onto others. If you made the case for Wards properly, without hostility, shouting down and labelling 'Racist' anyone who objects, and listened to the objections, there could be some progress. You might be surprised by the results. My objections are clear: The democratic right to a referendum, has been withdrawn by a Crown Minister who is afraid of the result. It's disgraceful.
Whichever way you slice it
Posted on 14-02-2021 13:37 | By Let's get real
Singling out one group for special treatment based on racial identity is what.....? Is there such a thing as positive racism...? I still don't believe that lowering the bar to allow everyone to be a winner (no matter how inept they may be) is the right way to achieve excellence.... As is being bourne out in our educational environment. Standards (like dress codes) go out the window and never return and who will carry the can for failure most likely.... those that come in through the back door a nd are not fairly scrutinised by the general public.
Morepork, some democratic rights are out of date
Posted on 14-02-2021 16:23 | By Peter Dey
Morepork, the Minister is withdrawing the right to a referendum because Pakeha majorities consistently vote in referendums to block Maori Wards which do not affect them at all. This is unfair to Maori communities in a way that breaches the Treaty of Waitangi. The Minister’s action in support of racial fairness is totally sensible. Some democratic rights in law are out of date. This is one of them.
L g real,
Posted on 15-02-2021 10:31 | By R. Bell
no one is singling out one group. The Maori people deserve by right a seat in the local government that impacts their interests. Interests that pre date colonisation. Maori achievement in education is far and away better now than ever. Due in the main to government intervention and encouragement. That you are fixated on perceived negativity suggests a more sinister motivation for your opposition.
Morepork, Maori Wards are not divisive
Posted on 15-02-2021 10:59 | By Peter Dey
Morepork, your comment that Maori Wards are divisive and unnecessary is almost irrational. There have been no Maori councilors in Tauranga for 20 years. That means that the Pakeha community HAS DIVIDED the wider community without fair Maori representation for 20 years. Maori Ward representatives around one council table is unity not division, and necessary if we want fair representation.
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