Why Ma¯ ori wards are critical for Kiwi democracy

This local body election season has seen plenty of ko¯ rero about Ma¯ ori wards, as Aotearoa moves towards a more inclusive system of governance.

Ma¯ ori wards are not, as some claim, a dilution of democracy. They’re about sitting in unity at the top table, enshrining the rights indigenous people are granted under Te Tiriti o Waitangi/the Treaty of Waitangi.

While the hı¯koi to the adoption of Ma¯ ori wards has received predictable pushback, ultimately constituent voices and collective conscience have won out. It’s the right choice to make.

Shifting the local government system to be more representative opens a smoother pathway for tangata whenua aspirations to be realised through reform and reconciliation.

While legally the local government system is duty-bound to embody the Crown’s obligations under the treaty

Tuatoru (Article 3), which demands equal rights for Ma¯ ori and non-Ma¯ ori.

If this genuinely happens, council practices and policies will be far more inclusive and representative of indigenous values, removing barriers to kaupapa Ma¯ ori.

Power needs to be given back to communities, particularly in districts with proportionally higher Ma¯ ori populations that have been historically underrepresented.

Now, Ma¯ ori ward councillors will have an equal voice to participate fully like any other councillor, resulting in local decision-making that’s authentic to the views, issues and challenges of iwi, hapu¯ , wha¯ nau and urban Ma¯ ori.

Rate hikes are high in growing cities, and many wha¯ nau are struggling to hold onto their whare and maintain payments because of the impact of development in affluent areas.

Ma¯ ori-led policy could see compassionate rate relief for people under a certain income threshold, and support for local marae development.

Ensuring mana whenua have more say over pollution and climate change effects will also benefit Ma¯ ori and non-Ma¯ ori.

Within my own wha¯ nau, our kauma¯ tua and whanaunga ‘‘water warriors’’ from Nga¯ ti Tama of Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka-a¯ -Maui have fought to uphold the kaitiakitanga of the sacred waters at Te Waikoropupu¯ Springs, entailing expensive, long-running litigation.

Elevating Ma¯ ori successes, identities, voices and world views should not be feared; instead, rich and meaningful Ma¯ ori history should be embraced in every rohe.

At an extraordinary meeting I attended last year at Hamilton City Council, impassioned locals submitted both for and against Ma¯ ori wards. Rangatira Ma¯ ori spoke with eloquent conviction, unanimous that the wards would benefit future generations.

Lady Tureiti Moxon, a qualified lawyer and former member of the Waitangi Tribunal, made a fair point by sharing a legal lesson on the Coat of Arms of New Zealand, succinctly getting to the heart of what a relationship of ‘‘unity’’ means. The coat of arms symbolises a covenant agreement of Tino Rangatiratanga between the Crown and Rangatira Ma¯ ori. A partnership of equals. Mutual prosperity. Standing together on the whenua, side by side.

The whakaaro of Ngira Simmonds, the Archdeacon for the Kı¯ngitanga, encapsulated it all: ‘‘We do not seek to usurp your mana; rather we seek to dwell together with you.’’

As Aotearoa continues this hı¯koi, may all society see that what benefits Ma¯ ori, benefits everyone.