Rangitikei councillor says Maori ward fight to go on

Rangitikei District councillor Soraya Peke-Mason. Photo/ Bevan Conley

Soraya Peke-Mason says the fight to make it easier to establish Maori wards on councils will continue despite a bill aimed at achieving that being voted down last week.

The Rangitikei District councillor said she hoped the matter would be discussed by Local Government New Zealand subcommittee Te Maruata at the national conference this month.

At present the establishment - or disestablishment - of Maori wards by councils can be put to a public referendum if 5 per cent of all voters ask.

But the same can't happen with general wards.

The member's bill by Green Party MP Marama Davidson aimed to address the discrepancy but was voted down by Parliament last week at its first reading.

"It's disappointing that Marama Davidson's bill didn't get passed but let me just say it won't go away," Ms Peke-Mason said.

She said the current system was unfair because a Maori ward was easily overturned by the general public through a referendum process".

"It allows people who are not on the Maori roll to seek a referendum and it's a ridiculous percentage."

That happened after the New Plymouth District Council voted to establish a Maori ward in 2014.

It sparked a backlash against the then mayor Andrew Judd who later did not seek re-election.

A petition of more than 4000 signatures triggered a referendum and the Maori ward was overturned by an 83 per cent majority.

If the same was to happen in Rangitikei it would take about 500 people to trigger a referendum.

Rangitikei District Council's Te Roopu Ahi Kaa committee has indicated to council its preference, asking it to consider a northern and southern Maori ward in the district.

Rangitikei mayor Andy Watson said it would be discussed as part of the council's overall mandatory representation review next year.

For Maori wards to be in place for the 2019 local government elections, council would have to decide on that by November 23.