'Back to square one': Hawke's Bay Regional Council to reconsider question of Māori wards

Hawke's Bay Regional Council will discuss the question of establishing Māori wards seats at its next meeting on Wednesday. Photo / File

Hawke's Bay Regional councillors are again being given the option of establishing Māori wards without consultation, following proposed changes to central government policy.

The council previously discussed establishing dedicated seats at a meeting in November last year which saw many iwi representatives walk out of the meeting after the council resolved to put the question to the public to a poll at the next election.

Now councillors will meet on Wednesday to discuss the topic again in response to the Local Electoral (Māori wards and Māori constituencies) Amendment Bill before
Parliament.

The bill aims to improve Māori representation in local government by removing provisions in the act that allow for the use of binding polls in the decision to establish Māori wards or constituencies.

Previously council decisions to create Māori seats or wards could be overturned if a binding referendum, which can be forced by a petition of 5 per cent of voters, is held.

Chairman Rex Graham said the council needed to reconsider its position in relation to the bill.

"We had a resolution at council to put it to a poll at the next election.

"But the Government has ruled that these polls are not the way to go and so council has to go back to square one. There's no U-turn here."

Hawke's Bay Regional Council chairman Rex Graham said the council was back at "square one" about the question of Māori wards following central government changes. Photo / File

He acknowledged the council's previous decision had caused upset.

"Tangata whenua in Hawke's Bay voted unanimously through their representatives to have wards.

"That is all the Treaty groups and the Māori committee.

"When council said they wanted to go to the wider community with a poll there was some upset obviously."

Graham said councillors had previously signalled their intent to get the public's thoughts, but it would ultimately come down to them to decide.

"Every way it comes down to the councillors making up their minds."

There will be four options before councillors at Wednesday's meeting.

The first, in line with the council's intent to engage the community, is to make a new resolution to hold a non-binding poll at the 2022 local elections which would inform the council's consideration of Māori constituencies in 2023 ahead of its 2024 Representation Review process.

A second option could see public engagement undertaken before the May 21 deadline, which could see Māori constituencies available for the 2022 local election.

The council could also make a new resolution to establish one or more Māori constituencies for the 2022 local election as a third option.

Both the second and third option would require the council to immediately initiate a formal Representation Review process which is estimated to cost about $20,000 - this could be brought forward from the 2023-24 budgets into the 2021-22 financial year budgets.

The council could also choose to do nothing, which would mean that establishment of Māori seats would be a consideration for the next council in 2023, ahead of an already scheduled Representation Review process.