Divisions over ward for Ma¯ori
‘‘I encourage the council to be courageous and bold.’’ Wiremu Te Awe Awe
Almost two-thirds of the people who have made submissions about Ma¯ori seats on the Palmerston North City Council oppose the idea.
But at a public hearing on Monday, nine out of 12 speakers urged councillors to adopt the Ma¯ ori ward proposal.
Public Service Association organiser John Shennan said many of the submissions in favour represented large groups of people, and he urged the council to be ‘‘brave’’ and create Ma¯ ori wards because it was ‘‘the right thing to do’’.
One of the three speakers scheduled to talk in opposition withdrew and opponent Selwyn Brown asked to be a late addition to the list after he saw the imbalance.
Brown said the timing of the Monday afternoon hearing was weighted against participation by people who had day jobs, as opposed to those who were paid to speak for their organisations.
He said councillors had no mandate to change the system under which they were elected.
He said the Ma¯ori voice was important, and he would like to see Ma¯ori on the council, but they should stand for election under the existing system.
A Ma¯ori submitter who was elected to Horizons Regional Council despite its lack of a Ma¯ ori ward, Wiremu Te Awe Awe, urged the council to ensure Ma¯ ori representation was guaranteed at its council table.
Speaking for Rangita¯ne o Manawatu¯, he said Ma¯ori and Pa¯keha¯ had come a long way, especially in Palmerston North, in understanding and respecting each other.
‘‘I encourage the council to be courageous and bold,’’ he said.
Te Awe Awe said he was encouraged to hear many nonma¯ori speaking in favour of having Ma¯ ori seats on the council.
Among them was retired Midcentral Health geriatrician Fred Hirst, who tabled extensive evidence about disparities between Ma¯ ori and other New Zealanders in health and access to healthcare.
Ma¯ori born today had a life expectancy seven years less than other New Zealanders, they were more likely to be poor, die from accidents and preventable illnesses, and to end up in hospital because they had not sought and received primary health services.
He said Ma¯ori were disproportionately living and dying in poverty.
Hirst said non-ma¯ ori, no matter how well-intentioned, could not effectively solve the problems.
‘‘Ma¯ori representation and leadership is needed to assist the council to improve the living and working conditions of the most vulnerable and socio-economically deprived in our community.’’
Hirst dismissed assertions by Hobson’s Pledge frontman Don Brash at a meeting in Palmerston North in July that Ma¯ori wards would be race-based discrimination as ‘‘insulting and disrespectful’’.
Hobson’s Pledge was represented at the hearing by Don Esslemont, who also spoke in his personal capacity.
He said it wasn’t moral to treat people differently based on race.
Esslemont said it was good that historic and ‘‘deplorable’’ examples of discrimination against Ma¯ori were no longer tolerated in law.
But, he said there was considerable resentment in the community against there being special rules and concessions for people who had Ma¯ ori ancestry.
The council is expected to decide whether to set up one or two Ma¯ ori seats for the 2019 local body elections on October 24.
Traffic-calming measures were designed to encourage the onethird of vehicles using it as a through route with no intention of stopping in The Square to use the ring road instead.
Businessman Steve Williams said while retaining angle parking was positive, it did not address the problem of the loss of one-third of the central city’s car parks.
‘‘Parking at 90 degrees would have been making an already difficult situation impossible.’’
He said most retailers, although supportive of the council’s plans to make the area more attractive, were appalled by the significant loss of parking.
Verdict cafe owner Carole Hawley said reducing parking in The Square would drive more shoppers into The Plaza, and put a big dent in the cafe’s customer base.