E ai ki te koromatua o Whakatāne, e ai ki a Tony Bonne, ehara i te tika kia whakatu he tūru Māori i runga i te pōti a te katoa mo ngā kaunihera a-rohe. Kua puta ngā tono ki ngā iwi, hapū me te hapori kia tuku i o rātou whakaaro mo tēnei take.
Ko tā te mema kaunihera o-mua o Whakatāne a Pouroto Ngāropo, he āo hou kei tua mena ka whakamanatia ngā tūru Māori mo te tāone o Whakatāne.
“I tēnei wā kua tāe mai ano tātou te iwi me whakaarohia. Ki te pirangi tātou he reo Māori, he kanohi Māori ki roto i te kaunihera o Whakatāne, koira te kaupapa nui mo tēnei wā.”
I roto i te paihere a te komiti whakahāere o te kaunihera he tuku pātai ki ngā iwi mana whenua me te hapori whānui. Koinei tētahin huaraki ki te whakarewa i ētahi tūru Māori.
Hei tā Bonne, “Well the biggest benefit will be having the Māori perspective put to our council decisions and I think that's the most important one.”
Kei roto i te ture mo ngā kaunihera a rohe e mea ana, kei ngā mema kaunihera e pupuri nei i ngā pōti rima orau te korero whakamutunga. Whā tau ki muri i whakaritea tēnei momo pōti ki te whakatū i ētahi tūru Māori i runga i ngā pōti a hapori.
E ai ki a Ngāropo, “Noreira i runga i tēra āhuatanga kāre e whai mana ngā tūru Māori ki roto i te kaunihera o Whakatāne natemea ko te nuinga o ngā kōrero whakahokia mai e te hapori me kii nō te iwi pākēha kē. Noreira koira i raru ai ngā tūru Māori i tēra wā.”
Ki tā te koromatua o Whakatāne a Tony Bonne, ehara tēnei i te tikanga pai.
Hei tā Bonne, “The legislation is made by central government and we cannot change that. I think that will be a fairer way but I think the fairest way in my opinion and I've taken it up with the previous government and we don't know who the government is going to be now Māori seats should be part of legislation.”
Hei tā Ngaropo, “Ehara i te mea kātahi ano tēnei take kia tāe mai, kua tāe noa mai engari i taua wā i raru ai, nā te aha? Nātemea i tukuna atu mā te katoa o ngā iwi hei whakaaro, hei pōti, nōreira i runga i tēra āhuatanga kāre e whai mana kāre e whai mana ngā turu Māori ki runga i te kaunihera o Whakatāne.”
Mena ka whakaae te kaunihera kia whakatuwhera ngā tūru Māori, ka tohua ko wai hei whakakanohi i tēnei tūru i runga ano i nga whakawhiti korero me te hapori.
“Ēnei tūru e toru, he mana motuhake, he tūru ēnei mo tāua te iwi. Ko te tūru tuatahi, mai Ohope ki Whakatāne, ko te tūru tuarua mai Waiohau ki Ruatāhuna, ko te tūru tuatoru mai i Te Pāroa, ki Matata, tāe atu ki Rotomā.”
Ka aukatia ngā tatau ki ngā whakaaro a te mana whenua me te hapori whānui hei te mutunga o tēnei marama.
