Local Māori wards advocate Fiona Kahukura Chase, who called for four Māori seats to better reflect the area's population, says she is satisfied with the determination.
"I felt that we had been minimised, so I think [the Commission] did a good job of allowing for proportion. We would have preferred four, but kei te pai, I think we're still given a good opportunity to represent our community really well."
The Commission said the issues highlighted by the three appeals and two objections received against the council's final proposal, lodged in November, went "to the very heart of questions of effective representation of communities of interest".
The main questions were how many elected members were required to provide effective representation for communities of interest in the district, and whether general and Māori wards would be more effective than geographic ward representation.
The Commission commended the council for its vision for strengthened community boards with enhanced delegated powers, saying this could help create more resilient communities.
It also acknowledged the arguments put forward by those requesting more Māori seats at the council table.
"We acknowledge in particular the issues faced by Māori in the district as articulated by Fiona Kahukura Chase, and we agree that enhancing the number of Māori ward representatives at the council table would both assist the council in understanding and addressing the issues faced by Māori across the district and strengthen the council generally."
The Commission noted that in the model put forward by Chase, four Māori ward members would equate to one third of the 12 members of the council.
"With the Māori Electoral Population accounting for approximately one-third of the overall population, we consider it important to achieve a similar proportion of members at the council table," the Commission said in its determination.
"This can be achieved through a council of nine members, being six general ward members and three Māori ward members, plus the mayor. We consider a council of nine members can both achieve the strategic focus sought by the council whilst also placing an appropriate focus on the issues faced by Māori in the district and ensuring there is a clear Māori voice influencing and enhancing the Council's strategic focus."
Ruapehu Mayor Don Cameron said the Commission's decision was along the lines he expected.
He said the council's initial proposal was for a smaller, strategy-focused council that would delegate more responsibility to the boards. The plan reverted to 11 plus the mayor in its final proposal following community consultation.
Cameron said strengthening community boards was timely and would allow for community voice to be heard at the table, but there had been reaction from rural communities who were "not too happy" at the cut to the Taumarunui-Ohura Community Board.
The Commission decision cut the membership of the proposed Taumarunui-Ohura board from seven elected members to five and increased the proposed Owhango-National Park Community Board from four elected members to five. The Waimarino-Waiouru Community Board would also have five elected members and each of the three boards would have one appointed member.
Cameron said there had been a decline in the number of rural people interested in becoming involved in politics.
"The issue is getting people to stand. There has been renewed interest in local politics because of Three Waters issues and, in particular, co-governance and partnerships."
The ACT Party bid to raise co-governance and Treaty principles as an election issue was disappointing, Cameron said.
"It's time we buried this co-governance issue once and for all. We're past that. I think there's a general acceptance that co-governance and partnerships based on Te Tiriti are the way we should be going."
Cameron said the improved proportion of Māori to general seats was a good start.
"I would hope we would have Māori representatives in the general seats as well. It was forecast that once we signalled we would have Māori wards, there would be a lot of interest."
He said there would need to be support for Māori members who were new to local government but a re-focused Māori Council, made up of iwi representatives, could provide some of this.
Payment for community boards was an issue the Remuneration Authority would have to address next year, he said.
Councillor Adie Doyle said his views on the determination were irrelevant.
"You have to work with the decision, it's set in stone now. You can't undo it, there's no method of appealing it, so you have to work with it.
"I'll work with anybody in any system that's determined. We're all after the same thing and that's to have a well-run district with happy people in it."
Doyle said he was a little surprised by the Commission's decision to merge the proposed Taumarunui-Ohura and Waimarino general wards into a single Ruapehu General Ward but said all councillors were required to work for the entire district anyway.
"There are a whole lot of issues around the council table that are district wide. What we're after is capable candidates and as soon as you've become a councillor, you swear an oath to represent everybody in the district."
Councillor Elijah Pue said he was happy with the outcome.
"The key will be attracting candidates who can represent all of the area's communities well, especially the rurals."
Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
