Mayors take other concerns to hikoi on Maori seats

North Shore City Mayor Andrew Williams, Waitakere City Mayor Bob Harvey and Manukau City Mayor Len Brown show off T-shirts supporting the hikoi for Maori seats in the Super City. Photo / Richard Robinson

More than half of greater Auckland's mayors plan to march in Monday's hikoi - most of them in support of Maori seats for the Super City.

However, other political leaders said they had nothing to prove by taking part.

Manukau's Len Brown, Waitakere's Bob Harvey and North Shore's Andrew Williams will be at the protest.

Franklin's Mark Ball supported the hikoi and hoped to take part while Papakura Mayor Calum Penrose wanted a contingent to travel in for the event and protest under a "Save Papakura" banner.

Mr Harvey said the Government had not dug its heels in too far to change its mind on Maori seats and the issue had the potential to show "world class" leadership.

Mr Williams said that long-standing Treaty grievances across the Auckland isthmus had been caused by Maori not being part of decision-making bodies. If the Government went ahead without Maori seats, the future amounted to more of the same.

"This is going to be another 15-20 years of being outside the tent and outside the decision-making process and so there will always be ongoing issues."

Mr Brown said that while he supported Maori seats, first and foremost he was marching for democracy. He wanted Aucklanders to make sure they understood broader Super City issues including ward representation and the strength of second-tier representation.

However, Auckland Regional Council chairman Mike Lee said the marching Mayors were probably more concerned about selfish patch protection than Maori representation. The ARC had advocated strongly for Maori inclusion and would continue to do so during the select committee process, but he had no need to prove a point on Monday by marching, Mr Lee said.

A spokesman yesterday said Auckland City Mayor John Banks would not be marching but he was extending an invitation to hikoi leaders to meet at the council after the hikoi so he could hear their concerns.

Rodney Mayor Penny Webster said she did not support Maori seats as they might act as an inhibitor for representation. If she attended the hikoi she would be marching to keep the district out of the Super City.