Dialogue: Another attack on one man, one vote principle

DAVID THORNTON* says that apparent moves to introduce Maori seats on local authority councils will only increase the racial divisions appearing in New Zealand society.

Racism and tribalism are alive and well in New Zealand, and threatening to become a major influence in our local councils.

Both North Shore City and Manukau City are embroiled in controversial proposals to enforce consultation with local Maori on resource consent applications. In both cases, there seems to be an acceptance on the part of the councils that Maori will be paid for this consultation. The main argument is "who pays?" - applicant or council (ratepayers).

Some councils have protocols in place with local Maori for consultation on resource consent applications, often with a payment formula included.

Justification for compulsory consultation is not supported by specific legislation but, some Maori authorities claim, consultation is required under provisions in the Resource Management Act relating to the need to take into account the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. There is also a requirement in the act to have particular regard to kaitiakitanga (guardianship).

Few would argue with the desirability of respecting the culture and historical treasures of Maori, but there is no supportable argument for requiring every single planning application to be assessed by Maori or any other ethnic or racial group.

And now there is a strong move to extend statutory Maori influence beyond just resource management issues.

A recent public notice in the Herald announced that the Bay of Plenty Regional Council is promoting a bill in Parliament to enable the establishment of Maori seats on the council. The bill contains proposals to establish Maori electoral districts within the Bay of Plenty, each returning councillors to the regional council.

The boundaries of these electoral districts will be defined by having regard, among other matters, to "tribal affinities." The total number of Maori councillors will be determined by calculating the number of people on the Maori electoral roll in the area as a percentage of the total number of voters on all electoral rolls. A variation on the method is used to determine the number of Maori MPs.

A similar proposal is being investigated by the Gisborne District Council.

With a Maori Minister of Local Government, plus a recent statement by the Prime Minister supporting such proposals and a Government which relies on Maori support, it seems highly likely that these proposals will become fact.

Indeed, there is every possibility that the Bay of Plenty bill could be adopted by the Government and be used to establish Maori seats on every council in the country. And it could happen very quickly.

New Zealand, like all countries with a Westminster-style government, is supposedly a representative democracy with a full franchise. Essentially, one man (or woman), one vote. This representative democracy is blemished to some extent by the provision of a few racially based seats in Parliament.

What could possibly be the justification for further distorting our representative democracy by installing Maori-only seats into our local councils? Such a step would serve only to increase the opportunity for racially based dissension at a very local level.

And if such a proposal is eventually to be forced upon us, it would surely demand a clear definition of a Maori? Many people call themselves Maori, but what do they mean by that? I once asked that question many years ago and was told: "If you feel Maori, you are Maori."

There are some Maori whose ancestry is half-Scottish, a quarter Irish and a quarter Maori. Others have less than one-16th Maori blood in their veins. What are they? Obviously predominantly non-Maori, but they choose to call themselves Maori. The most effective way to demonstrate such a choice is by opting to be on the Maori electoral roll.

There seems to be nothing to stop anyone from opting to go on the Maori roll, no matter what his or her race or ethnic origin. The chief electoral officer cannot deny anyone the right to chose the Maori option.

This leaves open the real possibility that the Maori roll could become the umbrella for all kinds of activists - and that such groups might even control local councils in some parts of the country.

Before dismissing such thoughts as conspiracy theorism, we would do well to look at the unrest in other parts of the South Pacific. The Fiji situation is claimed to be a struggle for the rights of the ubiquitous indigenous people. The Solomon Islands crisis originates in tribal rivalry.

In New Zealand we have the seeds of both causes - Maori claims as the indigenous people, combined with the ever-increasing tribal clashes as rival iwi compete for mana whenua status, particularly in relation to resource consent issues.

Instead of increasing the racial divisions in our society, which the introduction of Maori seats on councils would do, we should renew our efforts to stabilise and resolve the Maori-Pakeha relationship on a lasting basis.

The sooner we start on that road, the sooner we will eventually remove the causes for all the resentment, anger and jealousy which exists on both sides of the racial divide.

* David Thornton, a commentator on local government, is a former member of the North Shore City Council.