Iwi: We'll boycott Super City advisory role

Pita Sharples (top) says he feels annoyed but not betrayed by the decision of John Key (centre) to side with Rodney Hide over the Maori seats issue. Photos / Mark Mitchell, Kenny Rodger

Tainui iwi say they will boycott any alternative, weaker role offered to them after the Government's decision to rule out Maori seats on Auckland's Super City council.

The decision followed a high-stakes game by Act leader Rodney Hide, who had told Prime Minister John Key he would resign as Local Government Minister if the National-led Administration allowed Maori seats.

Mr Hide and Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples will now be required to work together on an alternate way for Maori to have a say in the council. A statutory advisory board or body is likely.

The issue put the Government's two support parties at loggerheads and the Cabinet's decision yesterday - the first time National has been forced to rule on an issue on which its support parties hold strongly opposing views - has upset the Maori Party.

It has vowed to fight for the seats, including putting up amendments when the main legislation is before Parliament and pressuring National MPs who are sympathetic to them to cross the floor to vote for them.

Tainui and Auckland iwi Ngati Whatua had both pushed for mana whenua seats on the council.

Yesterday, angry Tainui chairman Tuku Morgan said he was disappointed in Mr Key, saying he had "caved in to Rodney and his 1 per cent party".

"He says the relationship with Maori is a significant relationship. Well, clearly that's amounted to nothing."

Mr Morgan said Tainui would not take part in any advisory board offered instead of the seats.

"That's not where the decisions are made. Giving Maori people the crumbs at the second level is a nonsense and we've made it quite clear we are not interested in being a tekoteko [symbolic figurehead] or tonotono [helper] - people who are subservient to the top table."

Dr Sharples said Mr Key had previously expressed some support for the seats, including reportedly proposing to Mr Hide that National itself introduce them in an amendment so Mr Hide would not have to vote for them.

Dr Sharples said he did not feel betrayed by Mr Key but was "a bit brassed off".

He believed Mr Hide's stance was instrumental in the decision.

"It's got to bring pressure to bear on the Prime Minister and his inner circle. This is clearly a political decision. The Government is not risking its coalition arrangement being attacked by [the media] and therefore they've opted to go with this."

He said Mr Hide was treating the Super City as his own personal project, rather than a Government one.

Mr Key said Mr Hide's stance was one factor, but not a dominant one, in the decision the Cabinet had made.

Other factors included concern that any move towards Maori seats should be implemented nationwide, rather than in just Auckland.

It was also National's policy not to have reserved Maori seats and its initial response in May to the royal commission's report on the Super City council had excluded them.

Mr Hide said he had not seriously expected a National Party Government to consider introducing separate seats, given its strong opposition to them.

It was only when he realised Mr Key was serious that Mr Hide told him he would have to quit if he went ahead.

Maori had protested by holding hikoi against the Government decision not to include the seats in its initial response to the royal commission's recommendations.

Auckland City's mayor John Banks says he supports the move not to have Maori seats on the new Super City council.

"We live in a multi-ethnic cultural society in an eclectic international city in the south-west Pacific and we shouldn't divide up the community on race."

Mr Banks is encouraging Maori to stand for council seats.

However, Manukau mayor Len Brown says designated Maori seats on the council would have helped bring together the 1.4 million people of the Auckland region.

"For people to really support the super city and to build a strong city they need to be a part of it. Maori have been very, very clear about their aspirations and expectations."

Mr Brown says the Treaty of Waitangi guarantees tangata whenua representation.

Manukau City Council has two Maori representatives from Tainui.

- with NEWSTALK ZB