Maori wards on the table in Taupō

Wednesday, 18 November 2020

Maori wards will be on the Taupo District Council agenda in an extraordinary meeting on Monday, November 23.

The Taupō District Council has left it until the last minute to directly opt for the introduction of Māori wards for the 2022 local body elections.

Māori representation and the possible establishment of Māori wards will be the sole agenda item at an extraordinary council meeting on Monday, November 23 – the last date by which the council could vote for wards to be in place for 2022.

Any resolution would include the provision that five per cent of electors could demand a poll to reverse the council’s decision (1240 people based on the 2019 roll of 24,810).

The result of such a poll would take effect for the next two elections (2022 and 2025) meaning one that overturned Māori wards would push any further consideration out until 2028.

* Nelson Māori Ward not recommended to council due to expected public opposition

* Call for 'silent majority' to step up in New Plymouth Māori ward debate

* NPDC to consult community on Māori wards

A 2017 council discussion on Māori wards means it is not required, by legislation, to consider them again until 2023, however in 2017 it also resolved to review Māori representation more generally this year.

A 2017 decision to review Maori representation in 2020 has caught up with the Taupo District Council which will hold a special November meeting to discuss the issue.

Possibilities other than a direct council vote for Māori wards, wrote TDC senior policy advisor Sue Mavor in her report for the meeting, were a council initiated poll or a public one initiated by five per cent of electors.

A council poll would need to be held by late May 2021.

Mavor noted that population requirements would result in two Māori ward members and estimated any poll would cost $85,000 to $90,000.

This had not been budgeted for, she wrote, but could be reduced by holding the poll as part of the 2022 election.

Mavor did not want to guess at the result of a possible countermand poll.

“Most of the polls across the country in the last five years have overturned the council decision,” she wrote. “However public opinion seems to be changing… it should not be presumed the poll would overturn the council’s resolution.”

But her report elsewhere noted “it is unlikely there will be a unified public view on this matter in Taupō.”

The Waipa District Council and Bay of Plenty and Waikato Regional Councils currently have Māori seats, however eight other councils that have sought to establish Māori wards have had their decisions overturned, most with poll margins of around 80 per cent against.

Noting that the consideration of Māori wards was but one mechanism to ensure Māori contribution to council decision-making, the report said a wider package of actions was being developed through a Māori representation project and being refined by a working group before further discussion between, iwi, Māori and the council.

The report indicated iwi disappointment with the slow progress of the project but also with the short time frame for providing feedback on Māori wards.

Turangitukua were in favour of wards but Te Kotahitanga o Ngāti Tūwharetoa explained it had not had the chance for all hapū to discuss the matter.

This would occur at a meeting on Sunday (November 21) with comment then forwarded to council in time for its meeting.

Feedback so far indicated iwi would support a council decision to establish Māori wards, the report said.