Unelected Maori to get votes on council

David Taipari. Photo / Amos Chapple

Unelected members of the Auckland Council's Maori advisory board will be able to vote on council committees.

The Aucklander newspaper reported that as many as 20 of the council's committees, panels and forums will have two Maori Statutory Board members at meetings.

They will effectively act as two other councillors, as they will be able to vote.

Board chairman David Taipari said yesterday that members, who were appointed to the board, were looking forward to being involved in council proceedings.

He said although it would come as a surprise to many, the fact that board members would be represented in most of the council's committees had always been something laid out in the local government legislation.

"A lot of people don't realise [how] much, because they haven't read the legislation," he said.

"But they will find that the board has quite a bit of genuine participation, which includes voting.

"I think it's appropriate that we have participation."

An Auckland Council spokesman yesterday said that in the legislation under which the Government created the new council structure, the Maori Statutory Board was always set up to be an independent body.

However one of its duties was to make appointments to the council's committees, panels and forums that dealt with the management of natural and physical resources.

"That process is now under way. The matter will next be discussed when the governing body and the board meet early next month," the spokesman said.

Those committees will deal with issues such as social and community development, heritage, transport, parks and strategy and finance.

Orakei councillor Cameron Brewer said he felt most Aucklanders would be surprised to find out how much power the board had. It was essentially acting not just as an advisory body.

"I think this would surprise most Aucklanders, that Maori Statutory Board members that have not been elected by the public will be able to vote at committee meetings and arguably sway the vote and influence the result."

Mr Brewer said the council was evenly split politically, so it was possible the two Maori votes could influence a result many times.

Citizens & Ratepayers co-leader Christine Fletcher welcomed the move to have two board members on committees.

"I think it can produce a really good partnership and I think they can be a really good balance between the different factions on council."