Upper Hutt was one of two councils in 2024 to rescind its Māori ward seat without putting the decision to a public vote.
However, Greater Wellington Regional Council voting data shows that 7,690 Upper Hutt residents voted to keep the Māori ward seat at the regional level, 1,084 more than those who wanted it removed.
The data suggests that, had residents been given the chance to vote on a Māori ward for the city council, they likely would have chosen to keep it.
Councillor Hellen Swales (Ngāti Tūwharetoa) was Deputy Mayor when the council voted not to send it to the polls. She had voted against the wards.
She told Te Ao Māori News that Māori Wards were “written for us, but not with us”.
“Anybody could stand in the position for a Māori ward, any ethnicity, was quite disappointing, because [how] is that protecting the voice of mana whenua or iwi?
“Any Māori wouldn’t know what the local tapu or taonga are. I mean, I wouldn’t if I stood for the Maori ward.
“If you’re really genuine and sincere about having a local mana whenua voice, then you need to actually dig a little bit deeper than any brown face will do,” she said.
Swales said the council had a memorandum of partnership with the Wellington Tenths Trust and were having conversations about having one with Ngāti Toa and Te Rūnanganui o Te Āti Awa.
Ōrangamai Marae chairperson Sophie Tukukino (Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Kahungunu, Rongomaiwahine) said it and the council had a “very positive relationship”.
“We represent our marae and community on a range of committees, meet regularly with representatives of the council for various community activities and initiatives, the council will seek feedback from the marae for strategic planning, etc.”
But, she was “disappointed” with the missed opportunity.
“Given the election results to retain the Greater Wellington Regional Council’s Māori ward, I think our Marae whānau would have established a Māori Ward if it had gone to a binding poll.
“With the support of Mana Whenua, Ōrongomai Marae would definitely encourage the council to hold a binding poll for a Māori Ward.”
Swales stated she would support Māori Wards locally if there were legislative changes. Although she did admit to voting to keep it in the Greater Wellington Regional Council.
“[Regional Councils] have more influence on Papatūānuku than any other TA (Territorial Authority) has, in the sense that they regulate our wai, they regulate our land, they regulate our parks, our reserves.
“I believe that’s where our voice should be the strongest in representation of our values.”
Kaipara District Council, like Upper Hutt, didn’t send its Māori ward to a public poll. However, voting data from the Northland Regional Council’s binding poll shows Kaipara residents would have voted against it, with an 845-vote difference.
Māori Wards receive huge backing from Tangata Tiriti in the region
The Greater Wellington Regional Council Māori Wards poll results showed over 100,000 people in support of the special seat.
In the region, under 28,000 people are on the Māori Roll, meaning at minimum over 80,000 votes came from those on the general roll.
Ngāti Toa Rangatira leader Helumt Modlik wasn’t surprised by the results.
“It would have been a genuine surprise to me if there was a majority of tau-iwi who said ‘no, we don’t support the Maori [ward]’. That would have been a shock to me.
“If you’re intentional about behaving in a mana-enhancing way with each other, then you expect them to reciprocate. And that’s how I read what’s actually happened,” he said.
The recent local elections saw 42 councils hold a special referendum for Māori Wards, after the coalition government reversed Labour’s decision to remove the binding poll for Māori Wards in 2021.
Out of the 42 councils, only 18 decided to keep it, with the rest removing them from the 2028 and 2031 elections.
“From a government point of view, it was a clear commitment that that decision should lie with local communities in order to make a decision, some communities have continued to progress with the model, others have decided against it, at the end of the day, it’s the will of the people,” said Local Government Minister, Simon Watts.
“I’m happy with the way in which it has turned out. It’s the will of the people to make those decisions, and they’ve done that.”
Tauranga is the only council yet to decide whether it will disestablish its ward or hold a poll before the 2028 Local Elections.
