Iwi advice sees M¯aori wards rejected

The Ka¯piti Coast District Council has voted against the establishment of Ma¯ ori wards, a decision based on advice from its iwi partners.

At a meeting on Thursday, the council unanimously agreed to a resolution not to establish the wards, at the recommendation of A¯ tiawa ki Whakarongotai Charitable Trust, Nga¯ Hapu¯ o O¯ taki (Nga¯ ti Raukawa) and Nga¯ ti Toa Rangatira.

The issue was brought to the council after the Government dumped a law that allowed Ma¯ori wards to be overturned by a petition.

But Ka¯ piti Coast mayor K (Guru) Gurunathan said the council’s iwi partners wanted to focus on strengthening their existing partnership.

‘‘Our partners are keen to carry on discussions about a Ma¯ ori ward over the next triennium.’’

Te Ru¯ nanga o Toa Rangatira chief executive Helmut Modlik said mana whenua in the area were collectively supportive of the value of Ma¯ori wards, but at present were focusing on strengthening their partnership with the council.

‘‘We are keen that such a move, while progressive for a few reasons, doesn’t constitute a Treaty partnership, which we are primarily concerned about moving towards.

‘‘We are focused on strengthening our ability to engage with the council and to operate as a wellfunctioning Treaty partner,’’ Modlik said. ‘‘We would prefer to focus on getting that shipshape as soon as possible.’’

If in three years, establishing a Ma¯ ori ward would add value to the area, it was something he would like to see considered, he said. ‘‘But if at that stage, we are pumping, and other issues have been taken care of, we may collectively decide that it’s moot. The Treaty partnership is the thing.’’

The council is working through a review of the shape of democracy in the district, including looking at what communities of interest exist and how these could be better represented. Options on the number of wards and elected members will be developed for consideration, with the council taking the plan to the community for consultation in September.

Multiple councils have moved to establish Ma¯ ori wards now they cannot be overturned by a petition, with the Far North District Council the latest to do so.

But not every council has been successful. Manawatu¯ District voted 6-4 to defer a decision on whether to establish the wards until 2024, in a move which one councillor described as a kick in the guts for tangata whenua.

The Invercargill City Council will vote on whether to establish a Ma¯ ori ward on Tuesday, but council officers have recommended that it consider mana whenua seats at the table instead.