The decision, href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/rotorua-council-opts-for-one-maori-seat-model-despite-te-arawa-opposition/FSTD75RJ4PHGP75WNHNTKPEDZQ/" target="_blank">made in November, was to adopt a governance model of one Māori ward seat, one general ward seat and eight at large seats.
The council also voted for chief executive Geoff Williams to pursue a local bill allowing a council-preferred – but currently unlawful – model of three Māori ward seats, three general ward seats and four at-large councillor seats. The local bill, if passed in Parliament, would make it lawful.
Representation reviews can be appealed by submitters, or objected to by those who did not submit.
Appeals and objections are then provided to the Local Government Commission, which can overturn councils' decisions.
In a statement, councillor Reynold Macpherson, who is also the chairman of Rotorua Residents and Ratepayers, said his group was also one of the 12 that had appealed against the decision.
He said the appeal had asked the commission to support the option that he believed was the most popular among submitters – a governance model with three Māori ward seats and seven general ward seats.
Macpherson said the model adopted in November was, in his view, "created at short notice without being notified or consulted".
He viewed pursuing the local bill as "another barrier to Rotorua keeping democratic representation", describing it as a co-governance model.
In his opinion: "This move was clearly intended to circumvent the Local Electoral Act used by the Local Government Commission to guarantee democratic representation."
Macpherson's statement said the problem, in the group's view, was that "one community of interest aspiring to co-governance was given primacy by bad-faith processes in the representation review" over "other diverse and legitimate communities of interest".
He said his group believed the adopted model and the council's support of the bill had "the potential to deter candidates, impair voter turnout, artificially divide communities of interest and adversely affect how elected members access constituents and vice-versa".
The Rotorua Resident and Ratepayers representation review appeal. Photo / Felix Desmarais / LDR
Macpherson said the group's preferred model was "simple and democratic", it maximised the "effectiveness of representation from diverse communities of interest" and boosted representational fairness.
The appeal and Macpherson's statements were put to the council and mayor Steve Chadwick.
A council spokeswoman said the council maintained its position from last week that while the process was underway, it would be inappropriate for the organisation to comment on the nature of appeals.
Ruthven said the next steps for the commission were to assess the validity of the appeals and objections and whether to hold a hearing.
"As the commission has not yet completed these steps, we are not currently able to share the appeals/objections, who they are from, or any details regarding them."
Ruthven said if a hearing was held appellants would be invited to present their views and it would be open to the public.
