Kiri Gillespie: Why Nanaia Mahuta was right to fight the system for Māori wards

Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta is making changes to Māori ward legislation, and not everyone is happy about it. Photo / File

OPINION
People can no longer overturn a council's decision to introduce Māori wards.

Good.

On Wednesday, the third reading of the Local Electoral (Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Bill passed. The bill has the support of Labour, the Greens and Te Paati Māori but National and Act have appealed the move.

In my years of covering the issue in the Bay of Plenty, I've heard plenty of argument for and against such a notion. And I've listened, a lot.

In August, the Tauranga City Council voted to establish a Māori ward, prompting a petition that successfully gained support from 5 per cent of the population to veto the decision.

Local petitioners say Māori wards are unjust because they are ''racist" and "everyone should be treated equal". These are the same lines trotted out when Western Bay of Plenty voted for Māori wards in 2017, before a petition vetoed this decision.

But, in my view, this isn't about equality. It's about equity.

It's something we already practise by creating mobility carparks in prime positions at supermarkets and malls – to help less-able people access the same amenities as people who are more able.

Imagine a petition against mobility parking because it did not "treat all New Zealanders the same", that those people using such parks should just park "like everyone else" - reasons I've heard used against Māori wards.

How ridiculous.

In my view, the only thing racist in all of this malarky is the existing legislation that singles out Māori wards as the only local government decision that can be overturned by the public.

Local government is supposed to represent the community's diversity yet it has been more than 20 years since Tauranga elected a Māori person to the council.

We need change. We need better cultural representation on our local authorities. The Rotorua Lakes Council's partnership with Te Arawa, who offer a Māori perspective on committees, seems to work well.

At the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, which first established Māori wards in 2004, I've seen those councillors contribute valuable and unique perspectives as part of the wider collective, resulting in well-rounded and considered decisions. To me, this is democracy at its finest.

It's a shame more people aren't aware of the success story I believe these wards are. But, like the Māori whakataukī goes: Kāore te kumara e kōrero ana mo tona ake reka - the kumara doesn't talk about its own sweetness.

I realise plenty of people will disagree with me. We don't all have to agree but I believe we can work together for a better, more vibrant and equitable future.