Māori 'kicked in the guts' over failed Māori ward bid in Manawatū

Thursday, 6 May 2021

The meeting started with a haka, and Manawatū iwi challenging the council to be courageous in its decision-making.

Tears, anger, and heartache followed tangata whenua out of the room as an historic opportunity became, in the eyes of some, cynical sidelining.

Manawatū District councillors have voted 6-4 to defer a decision on whether to introduce Māori wards until 2024, amid accusations aspirations of re-election were put ahead of their convictions.

Rangitāne leader Wīremu Kīngi Te Awe Awe, who was representing Te Rangimārie, marae, said Thursday’s decision had wounded its relationship with the council.

His marae would quit the council’s iwi advisory committee, Ngā Manu Tāiko, and he expected other marae to follow suit.

Rangitāne leader Wīremu Kīngi Te Awe Awe says his marae will quit the Manawatū District Council's advisory committee after they voted to defer a decision on whether to establish Māori wards.

* Smoothing the path for Māori wards pleases many in Manawatū regoin

Mayor Helen Worboys says she is personally in favour of Māori wards but is fearful of public backlash.

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A law change in February meant the introduction of Māori wards could no longer be stopped by binding public polls. Palmerston North and Rangitīkei councils have both since introduced Māori wards.

The Manawatū council had tried to do the same ahead of the 2019 local body elections, as a means of honouring Treaty of Waitangi obligations and improving Māori representation, but it was resoundingly defeated by a poll in which 77 per cent of the public who voted opposed the change.

Mayor Helen Worboys and deputy mayor Michael Ford both said they were personally in favour of a Māori ward, but feared public backlash, and were concerned the council and iwi were too busy to implement the change in time for the 2022 elections.

Councillor Alison Short says ‘sidelining’ the decision to establish a Māori ward is a ‘kick in the guts’.

“I favour equity over equality… but as an elected representative, I represent the community… I’d say the community isn’t ready for a Māori ward just yet,” Ford said.

All 12 marae represented on Ngā Manu Tāiko recommended the council establish the ward.

Marae representatives, tamariki and mokopuna crammed into the public gallery to witness the vote, and performed a haka in unity.

Kauwhata marae representative Christine Elers challenged the council to be courageous.

Councillor Andrew Quarrie says establishing a Māori ward is ‘undemocratic’.

“Let this day go on historical record that you were agents of change to bring fair, equitable Māori representation [to council].

“We have waited generations for equitable decision-making… our ancestors’ aspirations are our aspirations. Our tamariki and mokopuna will be sitting here in the future.”

Clinton Vincent, also from Kauwhata marae, described the vote as a “once in a generation change … a change that is desperately needed by Māori”.

But the optimism faded each time a councillor said they would vote to postpone the decision until 2024.

Councillors Grant Hadfield and Steve Bielski joined Worboys and Ford in wanting more time to educate the Manawatū District on what Māori wards were so that if the ward was adopted in future, it would be with majority support.

Councillors Heather Gee-Taylor and Andrew Quarrie also voted against a Māori ward, claiming it would be undemocratic.

Cr Quarrie said for Māori to want to vote for just one Māori representative instead of multiple general representatives was “madness”.

There were shouts from the public gallery that the comment was insulting.

Cr Gee-Taylor said implementing a Māori ward would go beyond equality and increase discrimination, and asked why Māori were not already contesting the general wards at elections.

Te Awe Awe called her out to “do her homework”. Former councillor Barbara Cameron, who retired in 2019 after 15 years on council, was Māori.

Cameron, who attended the meeting, was disappointed in the council for “kicking [the issue] down the road” and that they would cite concern for iwi's ability to handle the workload as justification.

She was concerned for the future relationship between council and iwi, and said councillors were making decisions based on what they thought would get them re-elected.

Councillors Shane Casey, Alison Short, Phil Marsh and Hilary Humphrey were in favour of adopting a Māori ward immediately.

Cr Stuart Campbell abstained from the vote due to conflict of interest, as he is the accountant for multiple marae. In the 2017 he voted against implementing a Māori ward.

Cr Short said sidelining the issue “kicked [Māori] in the guts”. Those who changed their vote from 2017 – Worboys and Ford – did so “based on the chance of re-election”.

Casey said all they could do now was continue a dialogue with Māori wherever possible and wait until 2024.

All councils have until May 21 to vote on whether to include Māori wards for the 2022 local body elections.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story stated the council vote was 5-4. It was 6-4. It also failed to acknowledge Cr Stuart Campbell who abstained from voting due to a conflict of interest. (Amended May 7, 2021, 1.18pm)