Whanganui councillors vote to establish Māori wards
Published on 24 October 2023
Whanganui District Council has resolved to establish Māori wards for the 2025 and 2028 local government elections. The decision was made following a vote by councillors at a council meeting on Tuesday, 24 October.
Mayor Andrew Tripe says this marks a huge milestone for Whanganui District Council.
“The aim of Māori wards is to provide an opportunity for Māori to be fairly represented on the council. I hope the introduction of Māori wards will increase participation in our democracy and encourage Māori to share their views and aspirations. It will further help our elected members to consider these perspectives when making local government decisions.
“Māori wards do not replace the strong existing relationships the council has with Hapū, Iwi, Mana Whenua, Tangata Whenua, Māori individuals and Whānau, and our obligation to consult with these groups and individuals will not change with the decision to establish Māori wards. Instead, they can act as an additional mechanism within the council’s decision-making process.”
The decision took place in the council chambers with each councillor sharing their view. A final vote resulted in eight councillors voting for Māori wards and five voting against establishing Māori wards. Mayor Andrew says that the majority of votes against were due to the view that the electoral legislation is flawed, which most councillors agreed with. A number of councillors agreed to lobby central government to seek change in legislation.
A community consultation on the topic was held from 5 August to 8 September 2023. A small majority from the survey results supported the establishment of Māori wards.
Twenty Hapū, thirteen Marae, two Iwi, and two Rūnanga were also contacted and invited to share their views. The council received formal letters of support from the two Iwi, and from Te Rūnanga o Tamaupoko who represent five Hapū from the middle section of the Whanganui river to Mount Ruapehu. Four other Hapū also confirmed their support.
The decision whether or not to have Māori wards was up for review due to a recent change in government legislation that asks councils that do not have Māori wards to decide whether to have specific Māori representation.
The establishment of Māori wards will feed into the upcoming representation review, which addresses how representation is arranged at the council. This review will look at the number of councillors, structure and naming of wards and whether community boards should be retained.
The council will likely have two Māori wards, based on a pre-set calculation by the Local Electoral Act which looks at the number of Māori and general electoral population in the city, relative to the number of councillors.
Electors enrolled on the Māori electoral roll will vote for Māori ward candidates, and electors on the general electoral roll will vote for general ward candidates. All electors vote for the Mayor.
Whanganui is the last council in the Manawatū-Whanganui region to establish Māori wards.