Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Campaign launched to get Maori seat on council

John Cousins
By John Cousins
Senior reporter, Bay of Plenty Times·Bay of Plenty Times·
19 Apr, 2018 09:47 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Carlton Bidois (left) and Reon Tuanau getting ready to put out signs asking people to vote in favour of a Maori ward on the Western Bay District Council. Photo/John Borren

Carlton Bidois (left) and Reon Tuanau getting ready to put out signs asking people to vote in favour of a Maori ward on the Western Bay District Council. Photo/John Borren

A big push has started to convince Western Bay District residents to support Maori having their own seat on the council.

Roadside signs have started going up around the district asking voters to tick the Maori Ward option on the referendum paper.

The referendum was forced on the council after it voted 9-3 last year in favour of having a Maori Ward.

Opponents responded to the vote by gathering 4500 signatures - more than enough needed to decide the issue by a binding referendum of all the district's eligible voters.

Reon Tuanau said the tick yes campaign was based on fairness, equity and collaboration, summarised by the campaign's key phrase of 'Moving Forward Together'.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In a direct rebuttal of the message put out by the petitioners, Tuanau said a Maori Ward did not represent separatism.

''Our plight is one of democracy. General wards represent their constituencies, a Maori ward would represent its constituency.''

And unlike speculation that two Maori wards would be created if the poll was won, he said the intention was to have one ward.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Tuanau, the chairman of the Tauranga Moana-Te Arawa ki Takutai Partnership Forum, said Maori comprised 14 to 15 per cent of Western Bay's population and had a much younger age profile.

Added to this was the rising importance of Maori enterprises and businesses, with about 27 per cent of the country's $43 billion Maori economy asset base based in the Bay of Plenty and Waikato.

He argued a Maori seat would lead to a 10-fold increase in the council's understanding of the needs and concerns of tangata whenua.

''It is a voice at the table to talk about issues from a Maori perspective. It would enhance the cultural identity and wellbeing of tangata whenua.''

He said it was all about demonstrating the confidence and trust in each other to do the right thing. The Western Bay District's ward system was based on communities, so the council was already working off a structure similar to Maori wards, he said.

Tuanau said they were asking a completely different question to the separatism question posed by opponents of a Maori ward. ''We are asking, will you support unity.''

The campaign included a series of public meetings aimed at not only encouraging more Maori to vote on the referendum but to get the message across to non-Maori whose support was essential to get the pro-Maori ward vote across the 50 per cent threshold.

''We need to get the message out there to everyone.''

Voting papers for the $70,000 referendum are being sent from Friday, April 27. Electors have until noon on Saturday, May 19, to return them.

Public meetings on the ''Yes - Maori Ward'' campaign
April 27: Talisman Hotel, Katikati, 11.30am to 2pm.
May 2: Vector Group Charitable Trust, 130 Jellicoe St, Te Puke, 10am to 1pm
May 3: Maketu Surf Club, 5pm to 7pm
May 4: Omokoroa Settlers Hall, 4pm to 7pm

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

live
Bay of Plenty Times

Landslide sparks evacuations, roads closed, homes flooded after storm

12 Jul 12:43 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

'Some of the worst we’ve seen': Huge pile of concrete dumped illegally

12 Jul 12:00 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

'Powerful example': Mum overcomes addiction to build a life helping others

11 Jul 06:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Landslide sparks evacuations, roads closed, homes flooded after storm
live

Landslide sparks evacuations, roads closed, homes flooded after storm

12 Jul 12:43 AM

The North Island is expected to get off to a wet start this morning, with lingering rain.

'Some of the worst we’ve seen': Huge pile of concrete dumped illegally

'Some of the worst we’ve seen': Huge pile of concrete dumped illegally

12 Jul 12:00 AM
'Powerful example': Mum overcomes addiction to build a life helping others

'Powerful example': Mum overcomes addiction to build a life helping others

11 Jul 06:00 PM
Bay home crowd rallies behind netball's Magic

Bay home crowd rallies behind netball's Magic

11 Jul 05:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP