5,000 signatures reached
To: Christopher Luxon, Local Councils of Aotearoa
Keep Our Māori Wards!
.jpg "3 people holding a sign with written text \" Māori Wards, Honour Te Tiriti, Strengthen Democracy, Bring us together\"")
When Māori have a say in local decision making, our communities and our natural world benefit. Māori wards or constituencies are one way of honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi and ensuring Māori have a say in local decisions after decades of underrepresentation.
We, the undersigned,
- Support keeping Māori wards on our councils
- Ask local councils to commit to keeping Māori representation on their councils, both through Māori wards or other forms
- Call on the Government to prevent racist violence towards Māori ward councillors and candidates in any referendums
- Call on future Governments to commit to supporting Māori representation in local decision-making, including entrenching Māori wards in legislation
Why is this important?
Local decision-making is essential to daily life. The way our council is made up and who we elect to represent us, makes a difference.
In 2021, local communities pushed for the then-Government to break down discriminatory barriers and make it easier for Māori wards to be established and strengthen local democracy.
The changes included removing the requirement for councils to hold binding referendums to establish Māori wards if 5% of local voters petitioned the council. This had become an almost unsurmountable barrier for councils who wanted to set up Māori wards.
Since the requirement for referendums for Māori wards was removed, Aotearoa has gone from having just three councils with Māori wards to 49 councils which either have them or will have them by 2025. That's a 1500% increase and covers 58% of local authorities.
In other words, communities have shown clear support for Māori wards across the country.
Yet the Coalition Government is currently speeding through a process that will reverse this legislation with their Local Government (Electoral Legislation and Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Bill.
This change will force local councils to either disestablish their Māori wards, or head to an expensive and distracting referendum in the 2025 local body elections. Two thirds of mayors and council chairs from across the country have said that this Bill is an overreach on local decision-making.
The Waitangi Tribunal has found the changes the Government is making in this Bill are a direct breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. They also found that whole communities have benefited from Māori wards, and that referendums or polls are likely to have a divisive effect.
Now is the time to say - Māori having a say in local decision making is good for all of us, let’s keep it going.
N.B. Māori wards are seats on councils, not hospital wards.
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