Wellington City Council has taken the first step in establishing a Māori ward for the next election.
Wellington councillor Jill Day. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
They become one of the first local authorities to begin the process since the law was changed to allow polls with more than 5 percent turnout to overturn a council's decision to introduce a ward.
In Te Whanganui-a-Tara this morning, councillors voted overwhelmingly in favour of the move - all but three councillors voting in favour.
The vote was not on whether to establish a Māori ward, but rather to progress with a period of targeted engagement with Māori and mana whenua on the proposal.
All residents will be able to provide feedback through the usual channels.
Once that has completed, with the findings of that engagement due back in mid-May, councillors will then vote on whether to establish a Māori ward.
If it is approved, the council will also have to conduct a representation review.
Speaking to Midday Report once the vote went through, councillor Jill Day (Ngāti Tūwharetoa) - the first wahine Māori to be elected to council - said it was an encouraging first step.
"We have a national housing crisis, we have a water crisis, and we have a climate crisis.
"We know that Māori are over-represented in having to deal with the outcomes of that, Māori are disproportionately affected by homelessness.
"So it's really important, in fact it's critical, that we as Māori are involved in solving those problems."
Day said there was some robust debate - and submitters at today's meeting.
"There was some interesting kōrero around how it works, we had people sort of expressing confusion and just trying to understand how decisions are made and how the process works, but also just a lot of overwhelming support for the fact that this is the right thing to do," she said.
She said since Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta led the law change in the act, it had the ability to make some big changes for hapori Māori.
"We can actually make this decision for 2022 elections which is really exciting. When we discussed the representation review last year that option was not on the table, we thought it was just an impossible step, we knew that this provision for a poll was insurmountable, so we really thought we weren't going to have a chance," Day said.
There have been moves to begin a consultation process in other parts of the country, with the law change encouraging elected representatives to push them through.
In Hawke's Bay, there has been a promise to begin a consultation process in the next three months.
Meanwhile, in Kaikōura , a former councillor is calling on current members to revisit the idea.
