Hastings District Council opts to keep Māori ward triggering referendum at 2025 election

Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst says there have been many benefits from the Takitimu Māori Ward. Photo / Paul Taylor

Hastings District Council has voted unanimously to keep its Māori ward councillors, triggering a referendum at the next local body election in 2025.

Deputy Mayor Tania Kerr labelled a recent law change a “farce”, as it forces councils to go to a binding referendum if they wish to retain a Māori ward.

Hastings District Council (HDC) introduced a Māori ward at the October 2022 elections and has three Māori ward councillors on its 16-person council, which includes 15 councillors and the mayor.

The council’s decision on Tuesday to retain the ward means a referendum will be held alongside the next local government elections in 2025.

Residents across Hastings district will be asked, at those elections, whether they want to retain or scrap the Takitimu Māori Ward, with the outcome being a binding decision taking effect at the following election (2028).

In July, Parliament passed a bill changing the law for Māori ward establishments.

As a result, councils that established Māori wards without a referendum (such as Hastings) must decide whether to disestablish that ward or hold a binding poll.

HDC signalled back in May it was not interested in scrapping its Takitimu Māori Ward, and during Tuesday’s meeting affirmed its support of its Māori ward - opting to go to a referendum.

The council also voted to petition the Crown, alongside “the collective actions” of other councils, to not require binding polls as a pre-requisite for Māori representation.

“It is disheartening that three years [after deciding on a Māori ward] we are required by Government, who think they know better, to revisit a decision and hold a poll ... to ask the community again who should represent our people,” Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said.

“We know our community and we should be trusted to make that decision.”

Back in 2021, HDC asked the public for feedback on its proposal to adopt a new Māori ward, with 76 per cent of respondents supportive.

Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst (second from right) with inaugural Takitimu Māori Ward councillors (from left) Ana Apatu, Kellie Jessup and Renata Nepe. Nepe has since resigned and been replaced by Heather Te Au-Skipworth, following a byelection. Photo / Supplied

Deputy Mayor Tania Kerr called the process, of having to go to a binding poll, a “farce” as the council had already consulted the community.

Takitimu Māori Ward councillor Kellie Jessup said she was “proud to be a councillor on this council” and shared her displeasure at a Government-enforced referendum.

“Every day we see some stupid, greedy people moving things while we are asleep. I’m sick of it.

“I’m sure you are all sick of it and we don’t want to put up with that anymore.”

Earlier this year, one of the inaugural Takitimu Māori Ward councillors, Renata Nepe, resigned from council after finding alternative employment as a teacher, which led to a byelection.

Nepe posted on social media that he had “struggled with the obscurity” of the role in the newly-established Māori ward.

Meanwhile, neighbouring Napier City Council does not currently have a Māori ward but previously decided to introduce one at the upcoming 2025 election.

Napier City Council will meet on September 5 to decide on the next steps after consultation that closed last week with 60% of 2300 submissions in support.

Its options included moving ahead with its original decision (which would trigger a referendum in 2025) or dropping the introduction of a Māori ward.

Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.