Strong support for Maori seats on a proposed Far North unitary authority shows how much society has changed in recent years, an iwi leader says.
A survey commissioned by the Far North District Council to gauge support for its unitary authority proposal also asked respondents about their views on Maori representation.
More than two-thirds - 69 per cent - said they backed the idea of dedicated seats for Maori, despite Maori being under-represented in the sample of 400 people. Maori make up about 45 per cent of the Far North's population but formed less than 20 per cent of the survey group.
Ngai Takoto leader Rangitane Marsden, who co-chairs the Better Local Government in the Far North Working Group, said the result was an eye opener.
"If the survey had been done a couple of years ago, it [support for Maori seats] would've been so minimal it would've been scary," he said.