John Bain (left) and fellow Democracy Northland campaigner Robin Grieve outside the Northland Regional Council building in Whangarei. Photo / Susan Botting
John Bain (left) and fellow Democracy Northland campaigner Robin Grieve outside the Northland Regional Council building in Whangarei. Photo / Susan Botting
More than 14,000 signatures from Northlanders wanting to have their say on three Tai Tokerau councils' Māori seats decisions will still be delivered to the councils.
This is in spite of the Government this week announcing it is removing the legislation that allows such petitions to happen.
The signatures - across three Democracy Northland petitions - make up New Zealand's biggest polling demand from local electors pushing to have their say on already-made decisions by Northland Regional Council (NRC), Whangārei District Council (WDC) and Kaipara District Council (KDC) in favour of Māori seats.
"It's important the voice of those 14,000 signatures is heard by the councils and the Government," John Bain, Democracy Northland petition campaign leader, said.
Bain said the petitions would be hand delivered to the three councils this week.
But the councils are lukewarm on their receipt, one saying such poll demand petitions were effectively null and void under the Government's pending legislation changes.
Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta (left), in Northland last year.
Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta this week announced pending Local Electoral Act (LEA) changes so such petitions could no longer happen.
At present councils must act on these petitions and hold a referendum – for which ratepayers must foot the bill - if 5 per cent of their registered electors make the demand.
The referendum must put councils' decisions for the seats to their electors, the outcome of their voting overruling the council decisions in a binding outcome.
Kaipara mayor Dr
Jason Smith said petitioners could deliver their KDC poll demand petition to his council if they so chose.
But that would effectively be a waste of time. It was basically a foregone conclusion the legislation change would go through. This would make any polls received null and void, he said.
Bain said the Northland numbers were way above the 10,000-plus signature petition taken to Parliament in the early December by a Whakatane-based group in support of the just-announced Government move.
He said Democracy Northland's three-month petition campaign's 14,000 signatures were also well over the targeted 11,000 the group had aimed for to ensure it more than met the required 9897 signatures needed for a successful 5 per cent poll demand to each of the councils.
Those 9897 signatures comprise 6027 people from NRC's 120,458 electors, 3080 people from WDC's 73,563 electors and 790 people from KDC's 15,806 electors.
Bain said the campaign had 148 per cent of the numbers it needed for the WDC poll demand petition, 150 per cent of those numbers for the KDC poll demand and 130 per cent of the NRC poll demand petition numbers.
Bain was a 14-year NRC councillor and former deputy-chairman, resigning and walking out of an October 21 council meeting just ahead of councillors voting 7:1 for Māori seats.
NRC chairwoman Penny Smart would not comment on whether her council would receive the Democracy Northland petition demand Bain is planning to hand deliver, or what it would be doing with the petition towards setting up a referendum if received.
Whangārei mayor Sheryl Mai said Democracy Northland had the right, like any other petitioner, to lodge its petition – which the council would receive if it was delivered.
But WDC would be waiting for the government legislation change outcome before doing any work towards setting up any referendum on the council's November 2020 8:6 vote in favour of Māori seats.
Polls across the three Northland councils would collectively cost ratepayers $360,000.
These polls consistently veto decisions councils make in favour of Māori seats without first talking to their electors. This has been the case with eight of New Zealand's last nine polls.
Around the country, 24 councils have tried to establish Māori wards since this was made possible under 2001 LEA changes. Two have been successful.
NRC, KDC and WDC make up 30 per cent of the nine New Zealand councils which have, since the last local government elections in October 2020, voted to bring in Māori seats.
Kevin Grose, Inclusion Northland pro-Māori seats campaign lead, said this week's Government move was a positive step towards honouring the principles of inclusion under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
"I'm absolutely ecstatic," Grose said.
Inclusion Northland will still be presenting its letters of support to NRC and WDC, backing up their Māori seats decisions. Its six week campaign has gathered signatures to go with the letters and for a petition to Parliament.
Grose said that in light of this week's Government announcement, Inclusion Northland would talk to government ministers at Waitangi this weekend to assess whether to now proceed with also delivering its pro-Māori seats petition to Parliament this month.
