Teanau Tuiono: Why Māori wards decision was so important

Then councillor and now deputy mayor Aleisha Rutherford fronted the Together: Kia Kotahi Mai campaign in Palmerston North.

OPINION:

On February 23, the Local Electoral (Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Bill passed its third reading and with the royal assent on March 1 it passed into law.

Over the past 20 years we have seen councils struggle to put in place decisions to institute Māori wards. This act removes the poll option from the process for councils to establish Māori wards and constituencies, and provides councils a new start at deciding whether to have Māori wards at their next elections without the prospect of a poll looming ahead of them.

These polls have proven to be an almost insurmountable barrier to councils trying to improve the democratic representation of Māori interests, as well as Māori economies across our regions. This process has been fundamentally unfair to Māori.

These changes will support councils to increase Māori representation by putting in place the same rules to establish Māori wards as general wards for the 2022 local election.

It will align the treatment of Māori wards and Māori constituencies with the treatment of general wards and general constituencies as much as possible.

It will remove all mechanisms for binding polls to be held on whether Māori wards or Māori constituencies will be established. This will provide local authorities with an opportunity to make decisions on Māori wards and Māori constituencies in time for the 2022 local elections.

As I gave the final speech in favour of this bill on behalf of the Greens I reflected on our campaign in Palmerston North to establish Māori wards in 2018. Together: Kia Kotahi Mai. The name was chosen to encourage both kotahitanga (unity) and diversity, and a positive counter to the politics of division. It was a positive and aspirational campaign.

There was an anti-campaign funded by rich out-of-towners. There were radio and newspaper ads - we were outspent by a country mile. My biggest disappointment was with some in our own community who were so easily swayed by this out-of-town propaganda and who had failed to listen to the views of people who lived in their own towns.

I acknowledge all of the councillors and mayor Grant Smith who supported that campaign and in particular the leadership of then councillor and now deputy mayor Aleisha Rutherford for fronting that campaign in Palmerston North, along with councillors Alison Short with support from Hilary Humphrey out in the Manawatū District.

We were not successful then, but last week - three years later - we came back full circle.

I suspect that once all of the dust settles, views to the contrary will find that the sky will not fall on them and that instead councils will actually find the new provisions useful in getting the job done that we have elected them to do. For all of us. Together: Kia Kotahi Mai.

+ Teanau Tuiono is a Green list MP based in Palmerston North.