During a visit to Tauranga on Thursday, Seymour spoke to Local Democracy Reporting about the issue.
”Our [Act’s] basic view is that human beings are wonderful, filled with different characteristics, particularly their skills and their hopes and dreams, their challenges.
“Yet for some reason there’s been a really corrosive obsession in New Zealand with a person’s race.”
This was done through a rule where a petition signed by at least 5 per cent of the local voting population could overturn a council’s decision on Māori wards by forcing a binding referendum on the matter.
The Local Government Minister at the time, Nanaia Mahuta, enabled the Local Electoral (Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Bill, preventing such petitions from affecting future council decisions on Māori wards.
It was described as a “momentous day” on August 17, 2023, when the Western Bay of Plenty District Council voted to establish a Māori ward after mana whenua campaigned for over a decade.
”The coalition Government is removing decision-making from councils by mandating polls be run on Māori wards and constituencies alone,” Broughton said.
”We have long asked that Māori wards and constituencies be treated like all other wards and the decisions be made at the council level.
”Currently, councils can make decisions about the establishment of Māori wards and constituencies for themselves. No one is forced, it’s a choice by communities’ elected representatives.
”Councils make these decisions based on feedback from their communities and iwi representatives.”
When announcing the decision, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown said any decision to establish or disestablish a Māori ward should remain with communities.
”This does not affect councils’ responsibilities to consult with mana whenua on issues that affect them.”
The Government would introduce a bill in the coming months requiring councils to hold a referendum alongside the 2025 election, Brown said.
The results would be binding and come into effect at the 2028 local government elections.
Any council not wanting to hold a poll would be given the opportunity to reverse their decision or disestablish Māori wards before the 2025 local body elections.