Napier City Council 'disingenuous' over Maori wards delay

Pania of the Reef sits serene on Napier's Marine Parade. Photo / Warren Buckland

Napier City Council's decision to not establish Maori wards by 2022 is being labelled "disingenuous" and "racist" ahead of a planned public protest tomorrow.

Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise said not establishing Maori wards by 2022 was due to a lack of time council had to consult the community.

"Following a meeting with mana whenua on April 21, council resolved on April 22 to begin engagement and consultation immediately," Wise said.

She said there was a requirement for council to follow the engagement and consultation processes outlined in the Local Government Act and its Significance and Engagement Policy.

Hawke's Bay DHB board member and Māori Party's former Ikaroa-Rāwhiti candidate Heather Te Au-Skipworth said she disagreed there wasn't enough time for council to consult.

"The reality is, that the Māori wards topic has been quite a burner in the Hawke's Bay region and nationally for many years now," Te Au-Skipworth said.

She said tomorrow's protest, which will be held 11am at the Napier Sound Shell, was open to "all Māori and non-Māori".

Challenging Wise and her councillors was not personal, she said, but rather the kaupapa in question was personal to her and Māori.

She believed to not introduce Māori wards by 2022 was "racist".

Mayor Kirsten Wise is backing her decision to not establish Maori wards by 2022. Photo / Paul Taylor

Wise said it is "very important" to clarify that there has been "no decision by Napier City Council to not establish Māori Wards.

"When considering all of our other local government work programmes, including Long-Term Plan preparation, District Plan review, and Three Waters reform, two and a half months was not a realistic timeframe," Wise said.

"We have very clear legal advice that we need to follow due process and meet our legal obligations ... the May 21 deadline for 2022 implementation does not allow us to do this and it would be irresponsible of council to ignore this advice and open ourselves up to the risk of judicial review."

Earlier Wise said the council "is not the Crown".

"Strictly speaking, Treaty-related obligations and the Treaty principles apply to the Crown and not other parties (including the council) unless legislation provides otherwise."

Heather Skipworth is urging Maori and non-Maori to protest Napier City Council's decision about the establishment of Maori wards. Photo / Supplied

Yet Ikaroa-Rāwhiti Labour MP Meka Whaitiri said levelling the blame at Central Government, and saying there was insufficient time to undertake widespread consultation was "disingenuous".

"In 2010 the Waitangi Tribunal found that the Crown must ensure that its Treaty obligations are upheld even at local government level, and that includes equal rights for Māori when participating in electoral processes," Whaitiri said.

"And this certainly doesn't feel like a rushed process to Māori [who] have been waiting for an indigenous voice on their councils for almost 200 years, since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi itself."

Ikaroa-Rawhiti MP Meka Whaitiri is calling Napier City Council's claim about lack of consultation time regarding establishment of Maori wards 'disingenuous'. Photo / Ian Cooper

Napier City Councillor Api Tapine said the question was not a new one.

"I know there's an expectation that we should be racing to catch up, but we have to start at the beginning. Both HDC and HBRC have long-established relationships with Iwi and hapu.

"Napier City Council doesn't have the same relationship. If it was a question just about the lack of time then I would whole-heartedly agree with Meka, but it isn't.

"It's a democratic, legal issue for which we need a comprehensive, consultative plan.

"It's disingenuous to think that Napier City Council can fix 180 years of corrupt history in four weeks."

However, he said, it's an issue that still needs to be addressed.

"All it takes is for 13 people to step forward and address change. I would love to see the council show more courage and give 2022 a real good go. If they are not prepared to address the issues now, what will change in 2025?"