Te Upoko o Te Ika iwi collective has joined growing opposition to the Government’s proposed local government law changes.
Te Kāhui Whakarehunga is condemning plans to remove voting rights from non-elected members serving on council committees, arguing the proposal would reduce Māori influence and undermine Treaty-based relationships between councils and iwi.
The Government announced last week that it plans to amend the Local Government Act 2002 so that only elected councillors can vote on council committees.
Local Government Minister Simon Watts said the changes are needed to strengthen democratic accountability, arguing elected councillors are accountable to voters while appointed members are not.
However, Pou Whakahaere of Rangitāne o Wairarapa Trust and current Rangitāne iwi representative on Masterton District Council, Mihirangi Hollings, says the proposal is being framed as a democratic reform when it is actually about removing Māori voices from decision-making processes.
“This government continues to demonstrate that its commitment to partnership extends only as far as political convenience.
“Once again, the Crown is acting unilaterally to remove Māori from decision-making tables, while expecting Māori to accept the consequences,” Hollings said.
It follows similar concerns raised by Te Kahu o Taonui, which last week accused the Government of using Te Tai Tokerau as a “political football” to justify the changes.
Te Kahu o Taonui says the proposal is not about strengthening democracy but about removing Māori influence from local government decision-making.
Te Kāhui Whakarehunga says iwi representatives on council committees contribute specialist expertise, local knowledge and long-term stewardship perspectives that strengthen outcomes for entire communities.
The collective argues that those appointments exist because councils themselves have recognised the value of meaningful Māori participation and the responsibilities that arise from Te Tiriti o Waitangi relationships.
“The Government’s proposal seeks to override those local arrangements and impose a one-size-fits-all approach that diminishes the ability of councils and iwi to work together,” the collective said.
Te Rūnanganui o Te Āti Awa chair, Kura Moeahu, rejected the Government’s assertion that the proposal is primarily about democratic accountability.
“This is not about protecting democracy. It is about protecting power. The Government is choosing to elevate a narrow interpretation of representation while ignoring the constitutional relationship between Māori and the Crown,” he said.
The Government has said statutory committees and appointments established through Treaty settlements will be exempt from the changes, as will appointments made under legislation outside the Local Government Act.
But some iwi leaders say the wider implications extend beyond the specific committees affected.
Te Kāhui Whakarehunga said Māori participation in governance should not be viewed as a privilege that can be granted or withdrawn by governments.
Te Pātaka o Rongokako chief executive, Ray Hall, linked the proposal to a broader series of Government decisions that Māori organisations have argued weaken Māori rights, Māori participation and Treaty-based approaches across multiple sectors.
“The proposed law change demonstrates this Government’s continued lack of commitment to its Tiriti o Waitangi obligations,” Hall said.
Hall linked the proposal to a broader pattern of Government decisions affecting Māori participation in public life.
“The Crown cannot continue to describe itself as a Treaty partner while systematically dismantling the structures that enable Māori participation in public life.”
“What we are seeing instead is exclusion, centralisation, and control.”
The proposed changes are contained within the Local Government (System Improvements) Bill currently before Parliament. If passed, councils will have six months to review committee delegations and appointments before the new rules take effect.
Te Kāhui Whakarehunga is calling on the Government to withdraw the proposal and engage directly with iwi, hapū and local government leaders, saying democratic participation should be strengthened rather than restricted.
