Whakatane District Mayor Judy Turner is 'very proud” council has voted to establish Maori Wards for the next two local body electoral cycles.

Leading up to the extraordinary council meeting for consideration of their establishment, Turner says she was pretty sure there would be the numbers to get the vote across the line, but she wasn't sure how fulsome it would be.

'I'm proud of the fact that not only did it happen, but it was unanimous, which I thought was really good because we are a very diverse council. I love about our council.”

Yesterday's meeting started with 21 groups and individuals sharing their views in the public forum over the course of two hours.

Turner loved hearing from the community in such a direct way and says those views helped shaped councillors' decisions.

She says Maori make up 43 per cent of the Whakatane district's population, so they are a very large voice in the community.

'We have all accepted that Maori wards are not a cure-all. That we still need to have relationships individually with the six iwi that are a part of our district and we need that to continue to invest in and build those relationships.

'Maori wards are but one tool in the kit of relating to, and hearing the voice of iwi in our area.”

Waiariki MP Rawiri Waititi. Image: Dan Campbell/SunLive.

Waiariki MP Rawiri Waititi says the establishment of Maori wards before the next local body elections assures whanau in Whakatane that their voices, wishes and needs will be represented.

'This announcement is not only a win for Maori, but for all people who are committed to a Tiriti centric Aotearoa, that moves us together as one.

'Tangata whenua and Tangata Tiriti working together, is our ultimate fight and should be the fight we are all prepared to endure,” says Waititi.

From here council will consider Maori wards as part of Council's Representation Review.

To achieve fair and effective representation, councils must review their representation arrangements at least once every six years.

The review asks how many elected members there should be in a district and how they should be elected. It considers wards, their boundaries, names, and how many councillors are elected to each. A representation review is also an opportunity to review the number of community boards, the number of members and subdivision boundaries.

A community engagement programme will take place as part of the development of an initial proposal on the structure for elected representation.

The initial proposal then goes through a full consultation and public submission process ahead of the Council meeting on October 28 to adopt the final proposal.

Public notification and an appeal period will follow.