As the heat rises for Govt

Stuff has found at least nine councils around New Zealand that have made decisions on Ma¯ori wards in the past few months. These decisions could be overturned by referendums, if triggered.

According to the petitioners at Parliament, eight out of the nine referendums held over the past two decades have overturned Ma¯ ori wards.

Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon said he wanted quick action from the Government. He said if referendums were triggered in all the councils that had decided to create council Ma¯ori wards, it might cost roughly $2 million.

The petitions were handed over to Labour MP Ta¯ mati Coffey who said the wards were discriminatory and racist. ‘‘The fact that you can set up a rural ward and a community board, but the second that ‘Ma¯ori’ word kicks in, and the guards are up, and suddenly [it’s] – ‘launch the petition’.’’

He said there was ‘‘political will’’ to change the law and it could not happen soon enough.

New Plymouth district councillor Dinnie Moeahu was one of the group of about 50 who took part in the petition handover.

‘‘It wasn’t just Ma¯ori there – there were non-Ma¯ori there, tamariki there. There was a real diverse representation of our community, all in support,’’ he said.

At least three councils currently have some kind of Ma¯ ori wards, the regional councils in Bay of Plenty and Waikato, and Wairoa District Council.

The other group that organised the petitions was ActionStation.

deaths in New Zealand active cases in New Zealand

global cases of coronavirus