M¯aori to keep seats
The two Ma¯ ori seats on Waikato Regional Council will be retained following a vote by councillors.
The regional council covers eight regions between Huntly and Turangi, including two Ma¯ ori regions.
On Thursday, a majority of seven to three councillors voted to re-confirm the status quo.
This meant retaining the two Ma¯ ori regions and the two corresponding seats on regional council.
Councillors voting for the Ma¯ ori seats to stay were chair Alan Livingston, Jenni Hayman, Stu Kneebone, Fred Lichtwark, Dal Minogue, Barry Quayle and Bob Simcock.
Voting against the Ma¯ ori seats were councillors Jane Hennebry, Stu Husband and Russ Rimmington.
Tipa Mahuta and Kataraina Hodge - the two Ma¯ ori councillors elected to represent the Nga Hau e Wha and Nga Tai ki Uta regions - were absent from the meeting.
Taupo¯-Rotorua regional councillor Kathy White was absent from the meeting and councillor Hugh Vercoe abstained from the vote.
Voting against the seats, Cr Hennebry said she personally did not like the council having ‘‘racebased seats’’.
Cr Husband said Ma¯ori no longer needed ‘‘tokenism’’, given that the current Parliament had many Ma¯ ori MPs elected on the general roll.
Cr Livingstone disagreed. He said councillors Mahuta and Hodge represented the Ma¯ ori constituents well and had made valuable contributions to the Waikato Regional Council.
‘‘They are both very effective in particular at helping ensure Ma¯ ori perspectives are taken into account, something which helps the council fulfil its legal obligations under various legislation, such as the RMA and Treaty settlements,’’ he said.
Before the vote, Hennebry, Rimmington and Husband voted for the public to be polled on the Ma¯ ori seats issue.
However, all other councillors present voted against holding a poll on the issue.
Livingston said councillors had a solid understanding of how the Ma¯ ori seats were working and were therefore in a position to make a wellinformed choice.
Simock said he’d heard no complaints from the community about the Ma¯ ori seats.