The Kaipara District Council (KDC) is to disestablish its Māori ward, less than two years after it was established.
Throughout an extraordinary meeting called to discuss dumping it, mayor Craig Jepson repeatedly reprimanded Māori ward councillor Pera Paniora, threatening to remove her from the meeting for ‘disorderly behaviour’.
“You will be quiet or remove yourself from the meeting,” he said.
Jepsen also said he was tired of warning her.
After the meeting, Paniora said she was just disappointed at the result and said her takeaway was “We have a fundamentally different view of the world, so it was a clash of cultures coming head to head”.
“They believe a Māori ward councillor, a voice at the table, that’s never been there before by the way is divisive and racist, and we say it’s divisive and racist to not allow us to have a voice at the table.”
‘The very essence of racism’
Before the decision was made, the council heard submissions from ratepayers and residents.
Filmmaker Wero Te Kino said he was brought up in racism, knowing racism, feeling racism and enduring racism. But he said racism was still difficult to articulate.
“Especially to those Pākehā who believe in that system and seek to maintain its status quo here in Aotearoa and on this day here in the Kaipara,” Te Kino said.
“Those who seek to disestablish the Māori ward seat are doing so under the pretext of democracy, equality and so-called fairness but behind that facade, which is what it is, is the very essence of racism, of racist white supremacy, of power and control.”
Te Kino said these were dangerous and disturbing times and the disestablishment was a takahia (a violation), disrespecting the mana of mana whenua, of the Māori ward councillor and of mokopuna Māori.
Plea for a mutual partnership
Te Kino said the backing of the Treaty Principles Bill would be the final red line in the sand.
Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngāringaomatariki principal Reno Skipper of Te Uri o Hau said the tīpuna of mana whenua had set the foundation of Kaipara.
Mana whenua provided aroha and support to European settlers who wouldn’t have survived without the hospitality, Skipper said, concluding the foundation of Kaipara was a mutual partnership.
Skipper said there were hapū who hadn’t had their voices heard and the benchmark was for everyone to come together, rangatira to rangatira.