A report from the council’s democracy adviser Michal Gray will be presented to elected members today about the matter.
He said the option to establish Māori wards was given to councils by the Local Electoral Act 2001, and a decision needed to be made by next month for it to be in place on time for the next two local government elections.
Council staff engaged directly with Te Ao Marama, a consultancy which represented mana whenua, rūnanga and Southland iwi.
Te Ao Marama had advised it was not in support of a Māori ward, Mr Gray said.
However, staff anticipated that there was support for the establishment of the ward from some individuals in the wider community, he said.
Staff believed these individuals would respect the preference of the rūnanga and therefore would not support the establishment of a Māori ward in this instance.
"Staff are keen to respect the preferences of ngā rūnanga and are recommending that council does not take steps to establish a Māori ward."
Mr Gray also believed many in the community would either respect the rūnanga preference to not have a Māori ward or they would be opposed to its establishment.
"Staff consider that seeking further community views on this matter would not influence the decision and that council already has an awareness of community views and preferences."
A decision about the matter was expected today, Mr Gray said.
