Both councils met in packed chambers on Thursday - in Napier and Waipawa respectively - and cemented their decisions to introduce a Māori ward, albeit by the slimmest of margins at Central Hawke’s Bay District Council with a vote of 5-4.
At Napier, up to 10 people in high-vis jackets stood near the entrance to the meeting, appearing to be on hand in case of any disturbances.
A sign was also up in the window which stated “gang patches and insignia prohibited”.
One NCC councillor, Richard McGrath, made an apology and was absent from Thursday’s meeting, reportedly due to the threat of patched gang members attending.
However, his apology was not accepted by the council, and Napier Deputy Mayor Annette Brosnan said she rejected the notion the meeting was unsafe.
“Being a leader can be hard. So can the decisions we make - but making hard decisions is what we put our hand up for,” she said.
“I do not support non-attendance for the reasons that councillor McGrath set out ... and I will not support accepting his apology.”
Another councillor said McGrath could have at least attended via an audio-visual link.
Napier councillor Richard McGrath made an apology and missed the meeting. Said apology was rejected by the council.
McGrath said he had sent an email to the mayor, prior to the meeting, stating he had safety concerns with the meeting.
“[The meeting] wasn’t originally planned to be held in the regional council chambers but was moved there,” he said.
“Also, in that email, I stated that I had now decided to travel to Palmerston North to watch my son play basketball ... and stated due to a clash in timing I wouldn’t be attending online.
“I have attended every single council meeting and every council committee meeting for 10 years straight.
“[You] miss one due to safety or putting family first and the apology isn’t accepted - really?”
Napier City Council and Central Hawke’s Bay District Council have previously each decided to introduce a Māori ward on their councils at the 2025 local government elections.
As a result, councils across the country that established Māori wards without a referendum (such as Napier and CHB) had to decide whether to scrap them or hold a binding poll to keep them.
Thursday’s decision by Napier and Central Hawke’s Bay to move ahead with a Māori ward means they - along with Hastings District Council and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, which also support Māori wards - must hold a binding referendum to retain them in future.
Residents will be asked, at the 2025 elections, whether they want to retain or scrap their Māori ward, with the outcome being a binding decision taking effect at the following election (2028).
Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise said a Māori ward was important for Māori representation.
Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise.
“Since 1977, Napier has had 193 councillors. Three have been Māori.
“Yet, Maori make up 24% of Napier’s population. The number of Māori candidates has been proportionately low over this time.
“How did those candidates do in elections? The results speak for themselves - 1.6% of all councillors since 1977 have been Māori.”
Napier residents were asked for their feedback this year about whether they supported a Māori ward, with over 60% in favour (from 2300 submissions).
All Napier councillors present at the meeting voted in favour of introducing a Māori ward except Nigel Simpson, who abstained from voting.
Central Hawke’s Bay Mayor Alex Walker said “I am proud of our decision” to move ahead with a Māori ward for her council.
“It is clear we need mana whenua to support the system to make this a community that thrives.”
Those who voted in favour at that council meeting included Walker and councillors Kelly Annand, Pip Burne, Kate Taylor, and Exham Wichman. Against were councillors Tim Aitken, Jerry Greer, Gerard Minehan and Brent Muggeridge.
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.
