Council Maori seats stay

Three Maori seats will remain on the Bay of Plenty's regional council after the Local Government Commission blocked council plans to cut one.

The council had wanted to cut one Maori and three general seats from its 14 councillors but now only one Rotorua general council seat will go.

Environment Bay of Plenty is the only New Zealand council to have Maori seats. It had decided 14 councillors were too many for the population and work required by the council and wanted only 10.

- NZPA