Mā te whakakore wawe i te wāri Māori ka pau pea te utu $20,000 neke atu i te tatari ki te pōti a tērā tau

Monday, 5 August 2024

Tērā pea ka pau te utu o ngā kairēti Kaipara tae atu ki te $25,000 mēnā ka whakatau tō rātou kaunihera ki te maka i tōna wāri Māori i tētahi hui motuhake i te Wenerei.

I pāhingia e te Kāwanatanga he ture i tērā wiki e whakahau ana i ngā kaunihera kia pōti rātou ki te whakakore i ngā wāri Māori a muri atu i te pōtitanga e heke mai nei, ka hoatu rānei ki tētahi pōtitake-here.

Kua kī kē te kahika Craig Jepson, i pīrangi ia kia whakakore i te wāri Māori o tana kaunihera i mua i te pōtitanga e heke mai nei.

Kua whakamāoritia tēnei pūrongo e tētahi hinengaro rorohiko, ā, kua hihiratia e te kaiwhakamāori a Puna, ko Joel Maxwell, nāna te pūrongo i whakapai hoki i mua i te whakaputa hei pūrongo reorua. Nā Straker me Microsoft te hinengaro rorohiko i whakawhanake.

This story, originally in English only, was translated into reo Māori by an AI tool then checked and edited by Stuff kaiwhakamāori Joel Maxwell before publication as a bilingual news story. The AI tool was developed by Straker and Microsoft.

E hia ngā mano tāra ka pau anō mō ngā kairēti mēnā he whakataunga tere mō te anamata o te wāri Māori o Kaipara, kua whāki mai he rīpoata ki ngā kaikaunihera.

A rapid-fire decision on the future of Kaipara’s Māori ward would cost tens of thousands more for ratepayers, a report to councillors has revealed.

E whakatū ana te kaunihera o Kaipara i tētahi hui motuhake i te Wēnerei ki te whakatau mēnā ka pupuri i tōna wāri Māori, Te Moananui o Kaipara, i mua i te Hepetema 6 i tēnei tau.

Kaipara District Council will hold an extraordinary meeting on Wednesday to decide whether to retain or disestablish its Te Moananui o Kaipara Māori Ward by September 6 this year.

Read this story in English here.

Kua tonoa e te kahika Craig Jepson tērā hui nā tētahi reta ki te tumuaki a Jason Marris i te Ākuhata 1, e rua rā i muri i te putanga o te Kāwanatanga i te ture hei whakakore i tētahi ture nāna i whakangāwari ai te whakatū i ngā wāri Māori kaunihera.

Mayor Craig Jepson sought a meeting in a letter to council chief executive Jason Marris on August 1, two days after the Government passed legislation to repeal law that made it easier for councils to establish Māori wards.

I raro i te ture hou me whakatau ngā kaunihera i mua i te Hepetema 6 mehemea kia whakakorengia ngā wāri Māori a muri atu i te pōtitanga 2025. Mēnā kāhore, me whakatū he pōtitake-here mō te wāri i te pōtitanga.

Under the new law, councils have until September 6 to decide whether to drop their Māori wards before the 2025 elections. If not, a binding referendum on their future must be held alongside the election.

I kī tētahi pūrongo kaimahi ki ngā kaikaunihera mō te hui, ko te utu hei pupuri i ngā wāri Māori me te whakatū i tētahi pōtitake-here e tata ana ki te $5000 me te GST.

A staff report to councillors for the meeting said the cost to retain Māori wards and hold a poll would be about $5000 plus GST.

Heoi anō, mēnā ka pōti te kaunihera kia whakakore i ngā wāri, me mahi tētahi arotakenga whakaahuahanga e matapae ana kia pau te utu i te takiwā o te $25,000 me te GST katoa.

However, should the council vote to get rid of the wards, it would need to undertake a representation review expected to cost about $25,000 plus GST in total.

E ai ki te pūrongo ko te whakakore i te wāri tērā pea he “whakawehe iti iho mō ētahi wāhanga o te iwi” engari ka pā kino pea ki te pātahitanga o te kaunihera ki te iwi me te Māori i roto i te hapori.

The report said getting rid of the ward may be “less divisive for certain parts of the community” but it could negatively affect the council’s relationship with iwi and Māori in the community.

Ko tētahi atu āhuatanga hua kino pea ko te “whakahē tūmatanui” ki ētahi whakapau moni anō i te wā e poroa ana ētahi atu tahua, ka kī te pūrongo.

Another potential downside was “negative public perception” towards additional spending during times of other budget cuts, the report said.

Tērā pea ka kitea he maiorooro ki ngā here ā-ture a te kaunihera hei whakarewa i te whai wāhitanga Māori ki te whakataunga ā-kaunihera, me te tautoko i te kanorau i te hapori.

It could be seen as inconsistent with the council’s legal obligations to boost Māori participation in decision-making, and support community diversity.

E ai ki te rīpoata mā te pupuri i ngā wāri Māori ka whai wāhi anō te hapori ki te kōrero i roto i te pōtitake-here.

The report said keeping Māori wards would also give the community a chance to have a say through a poll.

Heoi anō, mā te whakataka i te wāri e āhei ai te kaunihera ki te whakahōu i ana whakaritenga whakaahuahanga ki ngā raraunga hou rawa, ka kī te pūrongo.

Dropping the ward, however, would allow the council to update its representation arrangements with the latest data, the report said.

E tūmanakotia ana kia noho te iwi Te-Uri-O-Hau i te hui.

Iwi Te-Uri-O-Hau are expected to present at the meeting.

Kua ātete a Jepson ki te kaupapa mō ngā wāri Māori.

Jepson has been vocally opposed to the idea of Māori wards.

I te whiore o te 2020, ka kōkirikiria e ia he pōtitake tūmatanui e pā ana i te whakataunga a te kaunihera kia whakatū i tā Kaipara wāri Māori, e tukuna ana tētahi petihana mai i te 8.8% o ngā kaipōti rēhita e karanga ana kia aro pū te kaunihera ki tēnei whakatau.

In late 2020, he campaigned for a public poll on the council’s decision to establish Kaipara’s Māori ward, presenting a petition from 8.8% of registered electors calling for this to be taken up with council.

I tērā wiki ka kī atu ia ki a Puna e ngākau whiwhita ana ia ki te whakahōu anō i ngā pōtitake ki ngā wāri Māori, kua kī hoki ia ko te pōti tika kia kotahi te pōti ki te tangata kotahi, kaua ko ngā wāri kaunihera motuhake i runga anō i te rēhi, i te ira tangata, i tētahi atu āhuatanga rānei.

Last week he told Stuff he was pleased with the move to reintroduce referendums to Māori wards, he has also stated voting should be about having one person one vote, rather than special council wards based on race, gender or any other aspect.

Kāore ngā kaipōti wāri Māori e whiwhi pōti anō i tētahi atu tangata.

Māori ward voters do not get any more votes than anyone else.

Ināianei kei te puritia tā Kaipara tūru wāri Māori e Pera Paniora.

The Kaipara Māori ward seat is currently held by Councillor Pera Paniora.

This is a Public Interest Journalism-funded translation through NZ On Air