He highlighted the New Plymouth District Council's decision to have a Maori ward, saying the councillor that resigned because of the decision had become a community hero.
Yesterday's debate was preceded by opponents and supporters trying to persuade the council of the merits of their arguments.
Mount resident Tony Noble supported the proposal, saying Maori people formed a unique community of interest because of their status as tangata whenua - indigenous people that had occupied the land for 30 generations.
He said it was the right time for a Maori ward because this year was the 150th anniversary of the battles of Gate Pa and Te Ranga that led to the Crown confiscating 20,200 hectares of Maori land. Recent Treaty settlements had seen Maori compensated for less than 5 per cent of the value of the land that was wrongly taken.
The opposite view was put by Rob Paterson who said the proposal reeked of racial preference based solely on ethnicity.
"This little charade has been played out for some time without any meaningful public input," he said.
Unless a public referendum showed clear support for race-based policies, anything else amounted to political despotism. If a poll was held, he was certain it would be lost.
Mayor Stuart Crosby said his strong view was that a Maori ward would damage the relationship between Maori and non-Maori. A renaissance was taking place in Maori history and he was persuaded towards the view that the ward would be a big step backwards.
Mr Crosby suggested the right time could be when local government reorganisation was considered in the Bay of Plenty.
"We have been on a journey of healing and reconciliation - this is not the right time."
Cr John Robson said the council should not make decisions based on racism or guilt. He said the council was in a good place in its relationship with tangata whenua and he did not want this to change because they were not wise enough to know what the better place would be.
Matire Duncan, the deputy chairwoman of the Maori collective who asked for the ward, said some people would oppose the move but New Zealand had changed and the proposal recognised that Maori had a role to play in running the city. It was not a right or special privilege, it was a choice, she said.
"Maori have a physical and spiritual connection to the land that cannot be severed."
