There is standing room only in the Stratford District Council chambers today as members of the public pack the room for an emergency meeting of the council, which was called by mayor Neil Volzke on Wednesday evening.
The meeting was called to discuss Māori representation on council and took place on the same day given by central government as the deadline for local councils to determine if they will introduce a Māori ward for the 2022 triennial local government elections.
The decision to call an emergency meeting to discuss the topic came less than 24 hours after Stratford District councillors heard submissions from Ngāti Ruanui and Ngāruahine representatives who appealed for them to introduce Māori wards in time for next year's elections.
After hearing those submissions on Tuesday, councillor Min McKay had asked her fellow councillors is they were still "comfortable with our stance" regarding Māori wards.
That stance - to not introduce Māori wards in time for the 2022 elections but rather to consult with iwi in time to consider the issue for the 2025 elections - had been challenged in March this year when Mayor Volzke asked councillors if they wanted to revisit that original decision which had been made in August last year.