Top of South councils united in keeping Māori wards

The public of Nelson and Tasman will decide in a referendum if they are to keep their Māori wards.

Both councils reaffirmed their decisions to create the wards on Thursday, following in the footsteps of Marlborough from the day before.

The chambers of each council were overflowing as kaumātua, iwi representatives, other regional leaders, and residents filled the public galleries to watch the proceedings.

Changes to the law enacted by the coalition government forces councils that created Māori wards since 2020 without a referendum to hold a binding poll on them at the next local election, or instead they can choose to disestablish the wards.

Tasman District Council resolved to create a Māori ward last year to be filled in the 2025 election while Nelson City Council’s Māori ward was filled for the first time in the 2022 election by Kahu Paki Paki.

On Thursday morning, Kahu spoke to the importance of the ward in creating positive outcomes by empowering Māori, and that it’s benefit to the city was “undeniable”.

“If we want our people to have confidence in a system of government, we need to be the ones who can demonstrate that it works. We need to be the model of aspiration, we need to participate, but we need to do so on our terms.”

Growing emotional, Kahu said the Government’s policy had caused “great harm” to the “tenuous” relationship between local government, and iwi and the wider Māori community.

“It’s a sad day for our country because the obligations set forth in the Tiriti o Waitangi are being disregarded.”

Councillors echoed Kahu's sentiments, with Nelson’s deputy mayor, Rohan O’Neill-Stevens, saying it “boils my blood” to see a fear of Māori wards “try to drive a wedge” in the community when Aotearoa has “partnership at its heart”.

“We must be committed endlessly to bring that beautiful vision to life. He rā ki tua, better times are coming.”

Nelson Mayor Nick Smith supported enabling the poll because of his belief that the electoral system should be determined by the electors rather than the elected.

He added that the country found itself in a difficult “clash of values” between the conviction that people should be treated equally regardless of race, and that New Zealand had a “special responsibility” to ensure Māori are included in decision-making.

“I am not afraid of our Nelson community being able to make a mature and sensible decision.”

Nelson’s vote to reaffirm the Māori ward was unanimous.

An attempt by councillor James Hodgson to also poll Nelsonians on their thoughts on the city’s electoral system as a whole during the next election failed.

However, a majority of councillors supported Pete Rainey’s “cheeky” amendment that staff report back on the implications of refusing to hold the referendum on the Māori ward – a symbolic gesture of their dissatisfaction of the Government’s law change.

Just a few hours later, down the road in Richmond, Tasman’s councillors also reaffirmed the ward’s creation, though cracks appeared in their prior unanimity on the subject.

Mike Kininmonth and Trindi Walker both previously voted in favour of creating the district’s Māori ward, but instead voted to rescind that decision because they thought iwi were already adequately included in decision-making processes and their communities were not supportive of a Māori ward.

But councillor Chris Hill said it was “shameful” that the council was forced to reconsider the ward, which was about ensuring Māori representation at the council table.

“Our particular form of democracy in New Zealand is highly valued, but it doesn’t generate equity.”

She didn’t understand why people were opposed to the ward.

“It’s just strange, isn’t it? To hear the idea of having one Māori person elected here is so confronting to people,” she said.

“That person will take the same oath as all of us.”

Tasman Mayor Tim King said that people shouldn’t look to the past to inform the electoral system of today.

“It’s actually very bloody simple. Sometimes, you just give someone else an opportunity, make them feel valued, and actually everyone’s going to benefit.”

But despite supporting reaffirming the ward, he thought the poll had the potential to be challenging and divisive.

“I find that actually really sad,” he said.

“In every other aspect of life, when you make a choice to do something for someone else, to provide someone else an opportunity, even if there is a degree of self-sacrifice … that’s a good thing.”

The chairs of Te Tauihu’s eight iwi trusts wrote a joint letter to the council in August 2023 to “wholeheartedly support” the creation of a Māori ward.

Tasman council engaged with iwi ahead of Thursday’s decision and five formally responded, all requesting that the council affirms its decision to have a Māori ward.

Similarly, all of the Nelson council’s feedback from iwi had been supportive of retaining its Māori ward.

But in the public forum at Tasman District Council’s meeting, Shane Graham, pouwhakahaere (chief executive) of Te Runanga o Ngāti Rārua, said that while the iwi trust was in favour of a Māori ward, it did not support conducting a binding referendum on the topic.

“[A referendum] places the rights of the minority at the mercy of the majority, we must ask ourselves is this truly democratic?” he said.

“When two wolves and a sheep decide who’s for dinner, who wins?”

All of Te Tauihu residents will now be presented with the choice of keeping or disestablishing their councils’ Māori wards during the 2025 local elections.

Regardless of the result of the referenda, the councils will still have a Māori ward for the 2025-2028 term.

If the referenda fail, the councils could only next implement a Māori ward for the 2034 term.