Buller mayor Jamie Cleine says his council's Māori representative guides the team and ensures iwi input each step of the way. Photo: Supplied via LDR
The council that pioneered Māori representation in local government says it sees no need to establish a Māori ward.
Many councils chose to set up Māori wards at the 2022 elections, but under new legislation, councils must now ratify them by referendum or abolish them.
That edict kindled chaos in the north last week, when protesters disrupted a Kaipara District Council meeting that resolved to scrap its new Māori Ward.
By contrast, the West Coast Regional Council - despite its less-than-progressive reputation in the past - took steps decades ago to ensure mana whenua had seats at the table.
The council has had iwi reps for 35 years, well before Ngāi Tahu settled its Treaty claims.
Council chair Peter Haddock said the stable system had allowed the council to work well with Poutini Ngāi Tahu for more than three decades.
"I suppose we are lucky in that we only have two rūnanga to deal with, Ngāti Waewae in the northern part of the Coast and Ngāti Māhaki (Makaawhio) in the south. "
It might be more complicated for councils in the north, where there are various iwi who may have competing interests, Haddock said.
"But what I can say is iwi reps have always added value to our council with their perspectives and their contributions to debates and decisions."
The West Coast Regional has had Māori representatives for more than three decades. Photo: LDR
Rūnanga chairs Francois Tumahai (Ngati Waewae) and Paul Madgwick (Makaawhio) have full voting rights on the regional council's major committees, but as non-elected members, cannot vote at meetings of the council itself.
Madgwick said that had never bothered him.
"There's the odd time when it would have come in handy, but I'm relaxed about it - we have plenty of influence, and as long as we're listened to and get a fair-enough say, that's fine."
The council/Māori relationship was further strengthened in 2020 when the WCRC and iwi signed up to the country's first Mana Whakahono ā Rohe agreement - a tool designed to help local authorities and tangata whenua agree on how they will work together under the RMA.
The region's three district councils have all followed the West Coast Regional Council example, appointing the Rūnanga chairs and other iwi reps to various committees.
Buller mayor Jamie Cleine said his council's Ngāti Waewae representative Ned Tauwhare worked not only at the governance level but also on project teams.
"Especially on some of our bigger infrastructure projects, Ned has been front and centre, guiding the team and ensuring iwi input each step of the way."
The council could see no point in a Māori ward, and neither could iwi consulted in the recent six-yearly representation review, the mayor said.
"Certainly we are guided by Ngāti Waewae in terms of their appetite for any change like a Māori ward; that's not something they supported. "
Despite Tauwhare's inability to vote at full council meetings, the iwi influence was strong, and offers a fresh perspective, the mayor said.
"He's a good listener and a circuit breaker - he'll listen to a lot of to and fro from councillors and when he speaks he's often quite profound in encouraging us to think in different ways or take a more strategic long-term view or just remind us of the communities we represent."
Ensuring Māori were represented in local government was not about 'race' as some politicians would have it, Cleine said.
"It's about fairness, respecting the status of the indigenous people and our obligations in the Treaty and in law.
"It's not a thing that's been a threat to us - it adds to council and should be embraced."
Grey District and Westland councils are also sticking with their current Māori representation models.
- Disclaimer: Te Runanga o Makaawhio chairman Paul Madgwick is also the editor of the Greymouth Star. He took no part in commissioning, writing or editing this story.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
