Future councillor sessions inspire Māori to get involved in elections

“Kua tae te wā — it’s time” is the karanga (call) to all Northland Māori to stand up and have their say as part of the upcoming local government elections in October.

This year’s elections will include nine Māori seats across Te Tai Tokerau.

The Māori wards (district councils) and constituencies (regional council) will sit alongside the general wards.

To help local iwi and hapū members prepare for the upcoming election, both Northland Regional Council and Far North District Council will hold drop-in sessions for whānau to have a kōrero about voting and standing for council.

They will also explain what Māori representation will mean in their rohe (district).

Michael Kake (Ngati Hau, Ngati Hine, Te Parawhau me Te Roroa ki Kawakawa, Ngapuhi) is a Northland Regional Council Tai Tokerau Māori Advisory Committee member and familiar with the challenges of trying to run as a Māori candidate.

He’s been quoted as saying he’s the most “unsuccessful candidate ever” after several failed attempts to get elected on the general roll for Whangarei District Council.

Kake now sits on various governance boards and committees, which he said had long been the only way for Māori to have some form of local representation.

“I think this is a huge shift in our whole attitude around local body elections which have struggled to engage not just Māori, but everybody in the region,” Kake said.

“This will be a game-changer for Māori and it’s on everyone to motivate our people to get involved, as well as to get registered and vote.”

Kake said he strongly believed his struggle to stand as a candidate over the years had been because of his obviously Māori name.

“With a name like ‘Kake’ I was always pushing the proverbial you know what uphill.”

He said during his time as an Electoral Commission community engagement adviser, he’d witnessed first-hand the disparity across local

Māori communities and the lack of fair representation at all levels.

He was therefore extremely passionate about encouraging his people to take part in this year’s election and hoped to see more Māori faces at the decision-making table in future.

“The turnout for local body elections has always been low, so that means you get representatives who don’t necessarily represent or reflect their community,” Kake said.

“The creation of Māori wards is something we’ve attempted several times to introduce in the past but was always voted down.

“I really hope that more young people stand, who can motivate our whānau to become more engaged, which will ultimately have an impact on central government elections next year.”

Auriole Ruka (Ngapuhi, Ngati Tuwharetoa, Ngati Maniapoto) is NRC’s Governance and Engagement group manager and said it was important for councils to show up kanohi ki te kanohi (face to face) and talk to the importance of this year’s significant elections.

The next Future Councillor Information Evening will take place at 5pm on August 2 at Te Hononga, Kawakawa and 5pm on August 3 at Te Kona — Digital, Business and Learning Hub, 74 Guy Rd, Kaikohe. ● To find out more about this year’s Māori wards and local government elections, visit: www.localelections. co.nz/ maori-representation/