As councils race to respond to Government orders that could redraw boundaries and create new unitary authorities, much of the debate has focused on what communities stand to lose. But for Māori councillors around the Manawatū-Whanganui region, the bigger question is what they could gain.
The Government’s fast-tracked local government revamp has sent councils scrambling, with rates, debt and the risk to local voice dominating public debate.
But Māori councillors across Ruapehu, Rangitīkei, Whanganui and the Manawatū-Whanganui region see a rare opportunity to rethink how local government works for Māori and build governance structures that outlast political cycles.
Ruapehu’s youngest councillor backs amalgamation “if it’s done properly”, saying Māori have always adapted to changing governments.
“I’m not opposed to the reforms, because all they’re doing is changing the face of an entity that we’ve been dealing with for ages,” says Māori ward councillor Kuru Ketu.
The Government has instructed councils to explore larger councils or unitary authorities, with initial Head Start proposals due by August 9.
Ketu says reform should be guided by whakapapa, shared landscapes and cultural connections rather than council boundaries.
“Nothing’s off the table. We need to be cemented in something that’s not artificial.
“Instead of asking what council we should go with, we need to focus on long-term, consistent and well-grounded relationships.”
One option is a unitary authority centred on Te Kāhui Maunga, the headwaters of the Whanganui, Waikato, Whangaehu and Whakapapa rivers.
“For many of us, that reference point has allowed us to remove the noise around local council boundaries, population and rating base, and metropolitan versus rural.
“It’s where we can ground ourselves as a starting point and then move out from there.”
Fellow councillor Viv Hoeta agrees.
“We have at last been given the opportunity to look at what is important for us. We have an opportunity to create something that our tamariki and mokopuna will benefit from and be able to add to, not be stuck with a future debt and fight.”
Hoeta sees a chance for iwi around the maunga to collectivise for “a stronger voice”.
“Iwi need to be at the table now as all councils have signed agreements with settled iwi around the maunga.”
She says a new system must honour those agreements and be resourced to make sure the commitments “are given the mana they deserve”.
“My only concern is for small communities like Raetihi, Ohakune, Pīpīriki, Kākahi and Ōhura that may get lost, so we need to ensure that we are at that decision-making table and we are represented.”
Whanganui Māori ward councillor Julie Herewini says amalgamation offers “an opportunity to design something better” for Māori representation, with Te Awa Tupua providing “the anchor” for any new governance model.
She says bringing some regional decision-making “closer to home” would allow the well-being of the Whanganui River and its people to be at the forefront of decisions.
Herewini acknowledges there is a risk that amalgamation could reduce the number of Māori represented at the table across the rohe. But she says councils would still be responsible for engaging with iwi and hapū and upholding Treaty settlement commitments.
“I see the potential for Māori voice and influence at decision-making tables to increase, if we do this right.”
Herewini says iwi and hapū are fundamental to shaping any new council structures because they have an inter-generational investment in ensuring communities and the environment flourish “for our tamariki mokopuna”.
Horizons Regional Council Raki North (Māori North) councillor Elijah Pue backs the reform agenda, saying reducing the number of councils could ease pressure on ratepayers and improve service delivery.
He believes amalgamation is “a huge opportunity to rethink everything” – including whether councils are delivering the right services in the first place.
Treaty settlement obligations give iwi an opportunity to help reshape local government so it better reflects their aspirations, he says. The greatest risk is that political decisions during the reform process leave iwi out of the conversation or disrupt existing co-governance arrangements.
Pue says Māori wards should be retained in any setting.
“They’re not to be feared; they are to be embraced.”
Horizons Raki South (Māori South) councillor Te Kenehi Teira says any reform should be used to “increase Māori voices in local government”, but he is unconvinced that will happen unless Māori wards are retained and built into any new governance structure.
Teira says iwi and hapū should help design the new system from the outset, warning some districts could end up with little or no representation under larger councils. Māori ward councillors, he says, could help ensure those communities continue to have a voice.
Rangitīkei Tiikeitia ki Tai (Coastal) Māori ward councillor Coral Raukawa says the reforms are an opportunity for Māori to help shape the new system, with Māori wards included “as a given”.
However, she says the outcome will depend on the final amalgamation model and warns Māori representation could be at risk in areas where voters rejected Māori wards in the 2025 referendums.
In the Horizons region, this included Rangitīkei, Horowhenua, Tararua and Manawatū. Waitomo and Taupō, which lie partly within the Horizons region, were also against with only Whanganui, Palmerston North and Ruapehu backing Māori wards.
Whatever form local government eventually takes, Ketu believes success will depend on creating institutions capable of lasting generations.
“This might work for the next five years, but is it going to be right in 50 years and 100 years and then 1000 years?
“Our view is long-term. It’s not about just a three-year political cycle.
“People ask why are you working with that minister? He’s the minister now, but we’ll work with the next one and the next one and the next one, because we’re going to be here forever.”
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
