Horowhenua District Council has voted (11-2) to retain its Māori wards.
In May 2021 it had a unanimous vote and an overwhelming endorsement to introduce the wards.
The councillors who voted against the wards today were Mike Barker and Paul Olsen.
Barker said there needed to be a referendum and, while Olsen acknowledged the current Māori ward councillors and said their work and commitment had been paramount in the last two years, he supported Barker’s view and voted against.
Māori ward councillor Justin Tamihana listed the reasons he’d seen that people were against the Māori wards. People said they were racist, divisive, undemocratic, unnecessary costs on ratepayers, no value, poor attendance, corrupt, that they had poor knowledge, or were unelected officials who were getting free rides and handouts.
He said he “absolutely refuted” all of the points.
Honour the Treaty, councillor urges
On comments on New Zealand being multicultural, he agreed, and said that, in the Treaty of Waitangi partnership, there were Māori - and everyone else was represented by the Crown. On “race-based” wards, he said it was to ensure the rights represented in the treaty for Māori and the whole nation collectively.
Tamihana thanked those who leaned into the Māori wards and provided support, and even thanked those who were against who had the right to their positions. Nonetheless, Tamihana said he would still challenge the views of councillor Barker.
He said he would ask Barker, “it’s about democracy, so why is it only Māori?
“And he’s yet to answer because he knows the process doesn’t reflect fairness and equality across systems”.
Councillor recalls racist remarks
Piri-Hira Tukapua, a tangata Māori councillor but on the general council, gave a different angle in her speech by sharing her experience with strong emotions in her voice.
In 2013, when she first stood, there was no Māori ward. If there had been, she would have stood for that ward due to the racism she experienced in a general seat as several people had told her, if she had a different name, she might get in.
Tukapua had been there four terms but said it wasn’t easy.
“Unfortunately, we have to work harder than everyone else,” she said. “That’s my reality but I’ve accepted the challenge.”
She pointed out that over 100 years of local government, when people saw the photos of past representatives on the walls, not many were Māori.
She said Māori wards were extremely valuable, not tokenistic and they meant something because they encouraged Māori to engage and participate in local politics.