Former MP Tau Henare vows retribution against Auckland councillors who voted ‘no’ to Māori seats

Former MP and Māori Statutory Board deputy chair Tau Henare. Photo / RNZ

Former MP Tau Henare has vowed retribution against councillors who voted against Māori seats on Auckland Council last Thursday.

Following the vote, the deputy chair of the Independent Māori Statutory Board (IMSB) tweeted he would vote no and oppose everything put forward by the 11 councillors who voted against Māori seats at the 2025 local body elections.

The board has nine members, appointed by a selection process overseen by mana whenua, who each sit on council committees with voting rights but not on the main governing body.

Tau Henare's tweet.

It was created after the National-led Government and Local Government Minister Rodney Hide rejected the recommendation from the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance for three Māori seats on Auckland Council - two elected and one appointed by mana whenua.

Today, Henare told the Herald he was flabbergasted at the 11-9 vote not to establish one, two or three Māori seats on the country’s largest council and would “pretty much” vote against anything put forward by the 11 councillors on the planning and council-controlled organisations (CCO) committees.

He said right across New Zealand, there are areas where you would not expect to vote for Māori seats but have voted in favour to help recognise where the country is as a nation. About half of the country’s councils have Māori seats.

“This city is over 150 years old and still can’t bring itself to recognise the place of Māori in this society and so I’m just going to use the tools I have in my small little toolbox,” said Henare, who plans to raise the issue at the next meeting of the IMSB.

Councillor Maurice Williamson has called Henare's tweet "outrageous". Photo / Michael Craig

Speaking on Newstalk ZB on Friday, councillor Maurice Williamson described Henare’s tweet as “outrageous”.

“You cannot be on the IMSB and putting out a statement ‘I will vote no on everything no matter what’,” said Williamson, who add that the IMSB should look at whether he can stay representing people as an independent Māori vote.

IMSB chairman David Taipari today said he had not seen the tweet from Henare nor spoken to him about it but if it gets raised at the board “of course, we will talk about it”.

“We are disappointed by the vote not to have Māori representation,” he said.

The Herald is seeking comment from Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown.

Auckland councillors voted to defer the issue of Māori representation to a working party looking at wider governance arrangements for the Super City set down to report back by December 31, 2024.