Maori wards are off the table for Dunedin until at least 2025, according to a report being tabled at next Tuesday’s city council meeting.
The report says an agreement to delay a decision was made after a difference of opinion between local Maori groups at a March 17 meeting of the Maori participation working party.
The working party, which facilitates collaboration between the council and local iwi, discussed the possibility of introducing a Maori ward in Dunedin.
Mana whenua representatives, who represent Maori with ancestral ties to the area, favoured further development of a strong Treaty partnership with the council instead of direct representation through a Maori ward.
But mataawaka representatives, who represent Maori unconnected to local iwi, said while they understood this approach they had concerns that the broader Maori community voice would be under-represented around the council table.
Both parties agreed further discussion and consultation between the council and the wider Maori community needed to take place before any moves to introduce a local Maori ward.
It was agreed that the concept would be revisited before the 2025 local body elections.
The discussion came after the Local Electoral (Maori Wards and Maori Constituencies) Amendment Bill became law on February 24.
The Bill removed the ability for the public to veto the creation of Maori wards by local bodies.
- By Andrew Marshall
