Nelson City Council has been advised against setting up a Māori ward for the upcoming 2022 and 2025 local government elections due to the anticipation of a negative response from the public.
The establishment of a Māori ward was last considered in 2011 and triggered a poll for the community to have their say – almost 80 per cent of votes were against the establishment of the ward.
The ward establishment will once again come in front of elected members at Tuesday’s full council meeting.
The issue on Māori representation was taken to the Iwi-Council Partnership Group in June and while Māori representation at council through avenues such as externally appointed committee members was fully supported, the establishment of Māori wards was not.
This was primarily due to the “high level of negative response” received in 2011 and 2012, which iwi did not want repeated.
Local authorities have the right to establish Māori wards for electoral purposes as just one option of increasing Māori participation in council decision making.
A report for council as part of the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting says that council has worked over a number of years to identify opportunities for iwi and Māori to participate in council decision making.
This includes having iwi representation on the Nelson Regional Sewage Business Unit and the Nelson Tasman Regional Landfill Business Unit and an external representative on the Environment Committee.
Councils are required to undertake a review of their representation arrangements at least every six years.
If councillors choose to proceed with the establishment of a Māori ward against the recommendation, the public will have the right to demand a poll to countermand the decision, if five per cent of electors call for it.
Māori ward representation would be set up proportionately to current electoral population which would likely see one member join the council.
Iwi support continuing to increase Māori representation in other ways.
