Whether Maori constituencies should be established in Otago for next year's local body elections will be considered at a meeting of the Otago Regional Council today.
Under the Local Electoral Act 2001, the council is required to make a decision on the provision of Maori constituencies by November 23.
At a special meeting in August, councillors decided to leave the decision until after the council had received feedback from local iwi.
The issue was again on the agenda for this month's meeting, with staff recommending the council "give consideration" to forming the constituencies.
If the council decided it should have Maori constituencies, a poll decide whether the region should be divided into more than one constituency. The council also had the option of holding a poll at any time to decide on whether the region should be divided into one or more Maori constituencies.
