A decision on whether the region's taiwhenua support the creation of separate Maori constituencies for the Hawke's Bay Regional Council has been delayed to allow for further consultation and the resulting views to be relayed back to the council.
The topic came up at the Hawke's Bay Regional Council Maori committee held in Waipawa yesterday, and followed three hui-a-iwi held over the past few weeks to discuss the matter.
To date, hui had been held with Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga, Te Taiwhenua o Tamatea and Te Wairoa Taiwhenua, with one more meeting scheduled for next Wednesday, October 25, with Te Whanganui-A-Oratu.
The issue arose as part of the council's six-yearly statutory representation review, which provided the option to allow for two representatives across either one or two Maori constituencies for the 2019 and 2022 elections.
These two additional representatives would have voting powers, unlike the current situation where Maori representatives from the regional planning and Maori committees were present, and had input, but could not vote with the full council.