Manawatū council revokes earlier recommendation and introduces Māori wards

Thursday, 20 May 2021

The Manawatū District Council has overturned its previous decision and voted for Māori wards.

A plea from Manawatū tangata whenua to be listened to has been answered.

The district council has reversed its stance and is now backing the inclusion of a Māori ward for the 2022 elections.

Over 200 members of the public burst into cheers and waiata when the council voted 8-3 on Thursday in favour of introducing the ward, a mechanism for correcting the under-representation of Māori in local government.

It followed a presentation by over a dozen Māori representatives, parents, educators and an information systems expert.

**READ MORE:

Eye to eye, Manawatū District Council general manger of infrastructure Hamish Waugh and Rangitāne kaumātua Wiremu Kingi Te Awe Awe, hongi following the decision to implement a Māori ward in the district.

* Manawatū council revokes earlier recommendation and introduces Māori wards

* Māori participation in council 'shunned', say church leaders

* Tararua councillors to consider introducing Māori ward

Te Kōtui Reo Taumata Collective spokesman Meihana Durie addresses council before the vote.

* People say they want Māori wards in wider Manawatū and Horowhenua

Manawatū iwi and supporters' historic hīkoi through Feilding, calling on the Manawatū District Council to reconsider its stance on Māori wards.

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

They took turns explaining what a Māori ward would mean to them and rebuffing arguments made by councillors at a meeting on May 6 where they decided, 6-4, to defer a decision on Māori wards until 2023.

That recommendation sparked an historic protest hīkoi in Feilding five days later, when over 500 people marched to the council building.

Councillors Heather Gee-Taylor and Stuart Campbell, who changed their vote to support Māori wards on May 20.

Meihana Durie, spokesperson of Te Kōtui Reo Taumata Collective which represents all iwi, marae and hapū in the district, said he and fellow Māori were elated to “finally have a voice, an opportunity” to be on council.

To the councillors who changed their mind, he thanked them for their 'courageous decision… to hear our voices and recognise what the hīkoi was about”.

The room erupts in haka, waiata and celebrations after the motion to established Māori wards is passed.

Māori wards returned to the table because of a challenge made by the four councillors who supported the ward; Alison Short, Hilary Humphrey, Phil Marsh and Shane Casey.

Cr Short said their challenge was on the grounds that by deferring the decision, the council had rejected a unanimous recommendation from a standing committee of council – the iwi advisory committee Ngā Manu Tāiko – something they had never done before.

Additionally, their decision resulted in the withdrawal of all Māori from Ngā Manu Tāiko. Without them, council could not meet their legislative requirements of Māori consultation, threatening its day-to-day functions.

Mayor Helen Worboys changed her vote to support Māori ward.

Cr Stuart Campbell, who had abstained from the May 6 decision, citing a conflict of interest, was the first to ensure a change in vote. The conflict was no longer apparent, and he voted in favour of Māori wards.

He told Stuff when council considered a Māori ward in 2017, he voted against it because he thought there were better ways to engage with Māori. But he now believed 'times have moved on” and a Māori ward was best for the district.

Councillor Hilary Humphrey speaks in favour of Māori wards.

Cr Heather Gee-Taylor switched her vote from opposition to support.

She had received flak online for her May 6 speech, when she challenged Māori to work harder and put more money behind their campaigns when standing in the rural or urban wards.

In tears, she said she had experienced racism and been spoken to in a way that “I would never have spoken to you”.

Meihana Durie, spokesman for Te Kōtui Reo Taumata Collective, leads the haka at the Feilding clocktower to protest the May 6 decision to defer Māori wards in Manawatū.

A voice in the crowd shouted that she had experienced racism for two weeks, whereas Māori had experienced it for generations.

Watch as the Tararua District Council makes an historic decision to introduce Māori wards.

As Cr Gee-Taylor confirmed she would support a Māori ward, ensuring a majority vote, she said “I really, really want your young people on my council”.

Mayor Helen Worboys and deputy mayor Michael Ford had previously said they were personally in favour of a Māori ward, but as representatives could not agree to adopt one without first better educating the public.

Though their votes were not needed to pass the motion, both changed tact and supported the ward’s inclusion in 2022.

Worboys said of the many other options she offered iwi, “none… were acceptable”. It was clear adopting a Māori ward was the only way to get Māori to re-engage with council.

Ford maintained he wanted to respect the results of the 2018 poll, when 7268 people – a 77 per cent majority of those who took part – opposed a Māori ward.

But he said not adopting one could negatively impact council business and its relationships with neighbouring authorities, almost all of which have embraced Māori wards.

Cr Humphrey argued that the 2018 poll was no longer relevant as the country and the world had changed: “We are not the same people we were in 2018.

'And as we've seen in the past two weeks, the people of Manawatū are now saying that Māori wards are a way of better including our Māori community.”

Councillors Andrew Quarrie, Grant Hadfield and Steve Bielski, maintained their opposition to Māori wards.

All councils have until May 21 to introduce a Māori ward in time for the 2022 local government election.

Any council that votes in favour of Māori wards triggers a representation review, which would otherwise wait until 2023.

That review would allow councils to expand or decrease the amount of general seats on council, as well as introduce or abolish existing wards.

The number of Māori ward seats would be determined by the proportion of residents on the Māori roll.

The Manawatū Māori ward will likely have one seat. Māori roll electors would have one vote, as well as a vote for mayor, the same as those voting in the Feilding and rural wards.

At the request of mana whenua, neighbouring authorities in Palmerston North, Rangitīkei, Tararua, Horowhenua, Ruapehu, as well as the Horizons Regional Council, have all voted to establish Māori wards for the 2022 election.

Whanganui District Council will not be adopting the ward.

Mayor Hamish McDouall said although the absence of Māori around the table was “glaring”, iwi leadership advised council they did not want a ward and “we respect that”.