In 2020/21 I was part of a team of concerned citizens who organised a petition to challenge the decision of the then council to establish a Māori ward. They did so without consulting the community at large. I took the view that electors should have a say about how they elect their representatives which was not a view shared by the former mayor and a majority of his council.
While gathering signatures I literally spoke with thousands of citizens and received tremendous support. We easily passed the 5% threshold to force the council to hold a binding referendum. Of the three Northland councils that were petitioned, Kaipara had the highest response rate with 8.8% of registered voters signing. That was a very loud and clear message, and more so given the typically low turnout in local body elections.
As we know, Nanaia Mahuta blocked our right to have a say when she introduced retrospective legislation in February 2021, to predate our petition that had been validated by the Council’s Electoral Officer.
Her act of shame blocked our local community from exercising its lawful and democratic right. I have no doubt that people of Kaipara would have resoundingly rejected the introduction of Māori wards had they not been muzzled from doing so, and Mahuta’s actions suggest she too knew what the outcome would be.
At last weeks council meeting, by a vote of 6 to 3 (the Māori ward councillor plus two others) with 1 abstention, we put that right. We have disestablished the Māori ward.
I reject the notion that Māori must have a designated ward to ensure representation at the table.
The irony of a Māori ward being introduced in the Kaipara is Māori had more and better representation in the 2019-22 council (2 of 9 or 22%). That is well above the 15% of eligible voters that Māori make up in this district. That was achieved without a Māori Ward.
The current council has one member who identifies as Māori, being the Māori ward councillor. Ironically, the council now has less Māori representation on Council with a Māori ward, than without it!
I am not surprised by that. People might well ask why should they support a Māori candidate in a general ward when they have a seat reserved specifically for them?
When I ran for the mayoralty in 2022, I made my views on the Māori ward very clear. People knew what they were getting when they elected me. I was fortunate enough to receive an overwhelming vote 1592 ahead of my nearest opponent in a selection of 6 standing for the mayoralty. I see that result as a very strong mandate.
I will not attempt to tell other councils what they should do as each has its own unique circumstances but I believe the Māori ward here in the Kaipara has not justified its establishment and is divisive.
I have never believed in dividing people by their differences and forming voting blocks based on race. It is condescending to Māori that somehow they are not good enough to be elected on their own merits in a general ward.
I strongly believe all members of our community should have an opportunity to stand on equal footing. If you are the best candidate no matter who your ancestors are you will be elected and this is well proven in the history of our nation’s local and central government mix.
To name a few, Mayor Tapsell Rotorua, Mayor Whanau Wellington, Mayor Moko Tepnia in the Far North. In central government we have famous politicians Winston Peters, Shane Jones and David Seymour the leaders of our coalition government.
I believe it is tragic that some in our community are advancing an agenda that divides our nation and turned a blind eye to the wisdom of great minds and visionary leaders like Dr Martin Luther King who said,
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
My critics say by removing the Māori ward we are not fulfilling our obligations to Māori. We are. Our council is complying fully with the Treaty obligations imposed by section 4 of the Local Government Act in respect of decision making processes and its obligations under the New Zealand Bill of Rights. We facilitate participation by Māori in local decision making processes but while doing so we ensure our decision-making entails equal rights for all communities and people of the district. Any preferential treatment of Māori or any other group would infringe those provisions.
We are elected to represent the various communities of our district equally without fear or favor. Democratic decision-making means dealing with the people and the communities of the district on an equal basis, without preferential treatment.
The establishment and need of Māori wards relies on a false narrative. That narrative preaches that Māori have no voice, are unfairly disadvantaged, are oppressed, and suffer the continual effects of colonisation, systemic racism and victimhood.
They say those of us who are not blessed with Māori ancestry should feel guilty for past misdeeds of our ancestors. I am classed as a product of white privilege, simply because my ancestors were not Māori.
This narrative is false and most Kiwis, including most Māori, know it is false. That is why very few vote in the Māori ward or for the likes of Te Pati Māori. I maintain most Māori in my district do not see themselves as oppressed. They know the narrative is false. They know they will succeed if they work, send their kids to school, take up free dental care, and can take their kids to the doctor.
This country needs to respect and celebrate all cultures. We need to maintain our wonderful democracy and not slide down the path to an ethno-state, where a country is dominated by the interests of a single racial or ethnic group.
Our vote to disestablish the Māori ward was about preserving all that is good about our freedom for all to participate in a well-functioning democracy.
If I yearn for anything associated with the past I yearn for the strengthening of the goodwill that has always existed. That which I have experienced during my working life in the North. I want Māori and all members of the Kaipara community to excel and do well. Our communities have always worked together, played together, and loved one another.
We do not want to be divided by race.