Far North voters have rejected a proposal to set aside dedicated seats for Maori at the council table.
Just over two-thirds (68 per cent) of people who responded to the postal ballot voted against setting up Maori wards for the 2016 and 2019 local elections while 31.5 per cent supported the idea.
Only 35 per cent, about one in three, of eligible voters took part in the poll. Voting documents were sent to almost 39,000 people on the General and Maori parliamentary electoral rolls in February. They had until noon last Tuesday to return their voting papers.
Far North Mayor John Carter said the council had not taken a position on Maori wards because it wanted to be guided by the community.
Dedicated wards were just one way of making sure Maori were heard at the council table. The result of the poll did not diminish the council's commitment to improving relationships with Maori or involving them in the decision-making process.