Local Electoral (Maori Representation) Amendment
te-pati-maori
Thu Jun 17 2010 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Local Electoral (Maori Representation) Amendment
Thursday, 17 June 2010, 10:40 am
Speech: The Maori Party
Local Electoral (Maori Representation) Amendment Bill
Rahui Katene, MP for Te Tai Tonga
Wednesday 16 June 2010; 9.10pm
I am delighted to stand and formalise the support of the Maori Party for this very important bill put forward by my colleague Te Ururoa Flavell.
The Local Electoral (Maori Representation) Amendment Bill is a genuine and a well developed intervention to invest in the decision-making process on matters of concern and cultural significance to the Māori community.
The issues of representation and participation by Maori is a core requirement if we are to establish a nation which lives us to the promise of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The establishment of Maori seats responds to the expectation that Maori cultural values and knowledge are important.
It is also an excellent means of responding to the Local Government Act 2002, which I would remind the House sets out the obligations of local authorities in relation to the involvement of Māori in decision-making processes.
That legislation specifies that a local authority must establish and maintain processes to provide opportunities for Māori to contribute to its decision-making processes. Local authorities must consider ways in which they may foster the development of Māori capacity to contribute to their decision-making processes.
And when these authorities are making significant decisions relating to land or a body of water, they are required by law to take into account the relationship of Māori and their culture and traditions with their ancestral land, water, sites, waahi tapu, valued flora and fauna, and other taonga.
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Mr Speaker – the legislation itself – like indeed sections 6,7 and 8 of the Resource Management Act – is a genuine and a very positive approach towards supporting opportunities for Maori in decision-making.
But the truth is – as every member of this House could testify – Maori representation at local level leaves a lot to be desired. Quite simply it is under-representation disproportionate to either the population or what we should expect to see in the representation of the Treaty partner.
Mr Speaker, Mr Flavell spoke earlier about the findings of the research by Christine Cheyne and Veronica Tawhai about Maori engagement with local government.
Their research revealed that participants felt there is little opportunity for Maori representation or consideration of Maori issues in local government, nor for the incorporation of tikanga and Maori processes in local government, and where there is, it is often tokenistic.
We have heard throughout the debates today of the poor representation of Maori across local government right throughout the country. And I have had an opportunity to look through the report of the Attorney General under the Bill of Rights Act in which I believe he lays out a case for positive discrimination.
Again I remind the House – we are talking about the Treaty partner experiencing representation at just five percent.
The report provides a table of the numbers of Territorial and Regional seats when compared under the formula proposed in this Bill and that set out under the Local Authority Act 2001.
If I look at my electorate of Te Tai Tonga –looking for instance at the Regional Authorities, the numbers are not huge. Indeed in the West Coast region, Canterbury region and Otago region we’re talking about ONE Maori seat and when we go to Southland there’s a massive jump to – wait for it – TWO seats.
Moving into the territorial authority area – looking at the districts of Waitaki; Dunedin City; Gore; Queenstown – Lakes District; Waimate; Wellington City; Kaikoura; Buller; Grey; Tasman; Nelson; Hurunui; Waimakariri; Christchurch city; Selwyn; Timaru; Ashburton; Central Otago – all we are talking about in any of those 18 areas is ONE Maori seat respectively.
Where there is an explosion is in Chatham Islands territory where it is proposed that five out of the eight seats would be Maori.
The key thing, Mr Speaker, is that the number of Maori seats is in proportion to the total Maori population of the relevant territory or region. “In proportion” – not under- represented; not over-represented; just right.
I am proud that the Maori Party has put forward this Bill and I congratulate the hardworking member for Waiariki on his efforts to replicate the model expressed in the Bay of Plenty Regional Council as an excellent opportunity to advance Maori representation.
ENDS
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