Wellington City Council set to establish Māori ward next year

Thursday, 11 March 2021

Wellington City Council has agreed in principle to a notice of motion tabled by councillor Jill Day to establish a Māori ward in time for the 2022 election. (File photo)

Wellington City Council is pressing ahead with plans to establish a Māori ward in time for next year’s local body elections, a move that proponents say would give mana whenua a greater say in dealing with some of the capital’s problems.

The proposal will now go to Māori for feedback but if it proceeds the new ward, represented by one additional councillor, would be set up in time for next year’s local elections.

“Māori voices must be at the table, it can’t be left to chance,” said councillor Jill Day, who led the effort to form a Māori ward.

Wellington, and the country, was facing housing, water, and climate crises, and Māori had been “disproportionately affected” by these problems, Day said. “They’ve been affected by these issues for generations, and it’s critical that we, as Māori, are involved in solving the problems,” she said.

When she was elected in the Takapū/Northern ward in 2016, Day learned that she was the first wahine Māori to sit on the council. She was so astonished by the statistic she asked council staff to “triple-check” it.

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Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced recently sweeping changes to make establishing Māori wards easier for local councils. (File photo)

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Deputy Mayor Sarah Free says the council is on the cusp of something “quite important”. (File photo)

The push to establish the Māori ward comes after Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced sweeping changes to the legislation, including laws that would uphold council decisions to establish Māori wards.

It also comes as the Wellington City Council endeavours to become more inclusive and bicultural.

The council established a new position of head of Māori strategic relationships, which was filled by Karepa Wall in October, to build better relationships with Māori. His top priorities include encouraging the use of te reo and supporting Māori-led businesses.

Wellington City has a total electoral population of 206,800. The Māori electoral population, made up of people on the Māori electoral roll and a portion of non-enrolled Māori, stands at 9400, according to council figures.

Under the Local Electoral Act, Wellington qualifies for one additional councillor for the new ward, which would take the number of representatives on the council to 15, not including the mayor.

People on the Māori electoral roll will be able to vote for the Māori ward candidate, as well as for the mayor.

The council voted 12-3 on Thursday to agree in principle to establishing the Māori ward from next year, with Mayor Andy Foster voting with the majority.

“We will be standing on the right side of history by supporting this,” said Deputy Mayor Sarah Free, adding that the council was “standing on the cusp of something quite important”.

Diane Calvert, Nicola Young and Malcolm Sparrow were the three councillors who voted against the proposal.

Te Raukura Te Wharewaka O Pōneke chairwoman Liz Mellish said the council’s decision was “brave”. “I understand the joy the councillors have, I totally think it a great idea.”

However, she wanted to see more information about how the ward would work and who would be eligible to vote in it and how it would impact mana whenua relationships with the council.

“In a city like Wellington, we as mana whenua are outnumbered by other Māori, we need to ensure that mana whenua relationship continues,” she said.

Former councillor Ray Ahipene-Mercer, who in 2000 became the second Māori elected to the Wellington City Council, questioned whether the ward was necessary.

Councillor Nicola Young says the cost of consultation on the proposal was a distraction from making sure the city did not have s... on its streets. (File photo)

“I would only ever stand on the same basis as any other person, irrespective of ethnicity,” he said.

He believed the current system, where Mana Whenua could bring issues directly to council, was working effectively.

Sparrow said the council may have “put the cart before the horse”.

“We’re being asked to support the proposal in principle, subject to consideration of feedback from targeted engagement with mana whenua and Māori,” he said.

“Are we being asked to agree to something in principle before there's actual clarity over whether it is in fact wanted?”

Young said she could not support the proposal because she was focused on fixing the city’s water infrastructure and making sure rates were affordable.

The council could not afford the cost of consultation given its tight budget, she said. “I think this is a distraction from making sure we don’t have shit running down the streets.”

The council would now ask mana whenua for feedback by May 13, with a final decision to be made by May 21. Members of the wider community would also be able to provide feedback.

The decision to establish a Māori ward was separate to an earlier decision by the council to investigate adding two iwi representatives to all council committees. A report on those findings would be considered by councillors on March 25.

Wellington iwi representatives, including from Taranaki Whānui, were not available for comment last night.