A chance to do the right thing
One hundred and 80 years ago this month, my family set sail from Plymouth, England, on a vessel named the William Bryan. It was 132 days later that they arrived off the coast at Nga¯motu hungry, exhausted and sick.
They did not want to come ashore. Nga¯motu was not what they expected. Each day our tangata whenua rowed out in whaling boats to bring my family ashore. Each day they stayed on the boat.
On the sixth day, the captain put the children in the whaling boats so that their parents would follow. Our tangata whenua had heard that we were coming.
They grew extra crops so there would be food for us to eat. On arrival, there was nowhere to stay. Our tangata whenua helped us build raupo huts on Puke Ariki hill, so we had somewhere to sleep and shelter.
We wrote letters home to England saying how proud we were that our children could speak the language of the land.
Now, 180 years on, we find ourselves in a position where our tangata whenua are asking for a decision-making voice at our council table.
To achieve this, our elected councillors have voted, 12 votes to two, to establish a Ma¯ori ward seat.
This is an elected position, like our other ward seats (New Plymouth City, Inglewood and Waitara) and is just one seat.
Sadly, our local government legislation allows for 5 per cent of those on the electoral roll to require our council to hold a binding poll on the establishment of the Ma¯ori ward.
This requirement does not apply to any other decision made by our councillors. It smacks of racism that this requirement was only introduced for the establishment of the Ma¯ori ward.
Our current Government has recognised that this is not appropriate and have indicated that the law will be changed soon.
Unfortunately, a petition to overturn the council’s decision has already been started.
Six years ago, it took only four days for the petition to get the numbers needed. This time it has been over four months and the petition has yet to meet the threshold.
The petition has been paid for and circulated by Hobson’s Pledge Trust. A trust with its registered office in Napier and trustees based in Auckland, Hawke’s Bay and the South Island.
They are not from our district, but they think that their views should outweigh those of our elected councillors.
This year so far, 11 other districts/cities have voted to establish a Ma¯ori ward.
Hobson’s Pledge Trust are also trying to impose their views on these communities.
Six years ago the petition and the subsequent poll ripped our community apart. Of the 45 per cent of voters who participated, 85 per cent voted against a Ma¯ori ward.
All that our Ma¯ori community was asking for was one seat at the table. Can you imagine how our Ma¯ori colleagues, team mates, whanau, neighbours felt when we as a community said no to one seat, knowing that 180 years ago they had held every seat at that table.
We have a chance now to show our Ma¯ori community that we value their voice. We have a chance now to be on the right side of history.
We trusted our councillors by electing them. Let’s now trust them by supporting their decision to establish a Ma¯ori Ward. It’s time to do the right thing. Our children and grandchildren are watching. Arohanui.
We have a chance now to show our Ma¯ori community that we value their voice.
– Karen Venables is a New Plymouth lawyer.