Make Super City seats a conscience vote - iwi

Ngati Whatua spokesman Ngarimu Blair. Photo / Kenny Rodger

Ngati Whatua are calling on the National Government to make the Maori seats issue on Auckland's Super City Council a conscience vote.

The Local Government Bill is currently under debate as legislation setting up the Super City makes its way through Parliament under urgency.

Ngati Whatua spokesman Ngarimu Blair said the Maori seat issue should be a conscience vote to allow MPs from the National Party to cross the floor on the issue.

"We're calling on Rodney Hide and the Prime Minister to walk the talk on the one person, one vote rhetoric. We know there is support amongst the National Party for this," Mr Blair said.

The Select Committee on the Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill ruled out Maori seats on the council but found that an advisory group would be "valuable". The committee also pointed to the Local Government Act allowing for Maori seats to be created by the council once it has been formed.

"But we know from [National Party MP] Tau Henare that over 80 per cent of the submissions supported Maori seats," Mr Blair said.

He said the Hikoi before the Select Committee attracted 15,000 people.

"Enough money has been spent on the process to suggest that there should be Maori seats," Mr Blair said.

He said the issue of Maori seats will not go away and Ngati Whatua will be calling on Labour to make their promise of Maori seats true if they form the next Government.

He said Ngati Whatua are also asking the Maori Party to include the guarantee of Maori seats on councils across the country.

"When we look at struggles, we don't think of three year terms, like our Pakeha politicians do, our people think in blocs of generations and we know it's inevitable that there will be Maori seats in Auckland and across the country," Mr Blair said.

He said the tribe will also be putting pressure on the first Auckland Super City Council.

Mr Blair said Rodney Hide and others have called on Maori to organise themselves during the next local body election rather than concentrate on Maori seats being established.

"We're only 10 percent of the Auckland population.

"The reality is there's still not enough of us to vote for us and we will be spread across 20 wards," Mr Blair said.

The Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill sets out the broad parameters for the Super City, including representation issues and the powers and functions for a Super Auckland Council of 20 councillors, 20 to 30 local boards under the Auckland Council, a single mayor and boundary issues.

It was debated in Parliament last night and this morning under urgency.