Hundreds of people have signed up to a new Northland campaign fighting for Māori seats on the region's councils.
Kevin Grose , Inclusion Northland pro-Māori wards campaign leader at a recent Whangārei community meeting Photo: LDR/ Susan Botting
"We have been encouraged by the level of support," Inclusion Northland campaign leader Kevin Grose said.
Northland Regional (NRC), Kaipara District (KDC) and Whangārei District (WDC) councils recently made groundbreaking first-time decisions for designated Māori seats on their councils.
Grose is spearheading the two-pronged Inclusion Northland campaign in support of these decisions.
"It's great NRC, KDC and WDC councillors, on behalf of their constituents, made well-informed decisions in favour of having Māori seats," Grose said.
"It's disappointing Far North District Council didn't go the same way.
"We know there are a lot of Northlanders in favour of these seats on their local council."
The Inclusion Northland campaign plans to deliver a petition to Parliament early next year calling for changes to the Local Electoral Act so that electors can no longer demand a poll about councils' Māori seats decisions. Such polls almost always overturn these decisions, as has been the case with eight of New Zealand's nine most-recent polls.
Māori seats proponents are also adding signatures on Inclusion Northland's separate statements of support - letters which will be formally delivered to NRC and WDC early next year.
Inclusion Northland will be at the Saturday Whangārei Growers Market for the next two weekends up till Christmas gathering signatures.
"We want to support the councils and keep Māori seats in place," Grose said.
"There are a lot of people in our Tai Tokerau community who are in favour of Māori wards."
Grose said it was important Northlanders in favour of the seats made their views known.
The group was started on 27 November. It comes as a 10,000-plus signature petition is delivered to Parliament by a Whakatāne-based group also calling for removal of electors' rights under the Local Electoral Act to demand a referendum over council's Māori seats decisions.
Grose said it was important Northlanders added their voice to this already-delivered campaign.
The three Northland councils that voted for Māori seats made up the only regional group among New Zealand's record nine councils that this year voted for Māori wards. Northland was also the only region where all its councils considered Māori seats at the same time.
Grose said the just-delivered petition showed how much of a groundswell there was in favour of the seats.
"Māori wards are important."
The government's strongly signalled it will remove the right of electors under the Local Electoral Act to be able to demand a poll on council Māori seats decisions by the next local government elections in 2022.
But Grose said it was important the government moved quickly to deal with that right for the nine councils which have already voted in favour of Māori wards this year.
The nine councils are Gisborne, Kaipara, New Plymouth Ruapehu, South Taranaki, Taupō and Whangarei District councils along with Tauranga City Council and Northland Regional Council.
Grose said Māori wards offered diversity and inclusion.
They were part of Te Tiriti o Waitangi expectations of Māori having a greater governance role than happened currently.
Local Democracy Reporting is a public interest news service supported by RNZ, the News Publishers' Association and NZ On Air.
