Wairarapa-based Labour MP Kieran McAnulty says race is the only motivation behind the Local Electoral Act amendment. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
The future of Masterton's Māori Ward is up for discussion this week.
It comes after the Māori wards bill had its second reading in Parliament last week where it was slammed as "utterly shameful" by Wairarapa-based Labour MP Kieran McAnulty.
National's Local Government Minister Simeon Brown, on the other hand, said the bill "strengthens our local democracy by reinstating polls on Māori wards and Māori constituencies".
"It requires councils to hold a binding poll at the 2025 local elections if they did not hold a poll when establishing Māori wards, and it adjusts the statutory time frames for local elections to give more time for the postal delivery of voting papers."
Masterton District Council voted to establish a Māori Ward in 2021, which enabled it to go ahead for the 2022 and 2025 elections.
Marama Tuuta was elected unopposed as the first representative in the ward.
The latest changes to the Local Electoral Act 2001 now require council to resolve to disestablish its Māori ward by 6 September this year, or hold a binding poll at next year's election.
At Wednesday's council meeting, elected members can either vote to consult on the disestablishment of the Māori ward for the 2025 election or they can retain the Māori ward for the 2025 election and hold a binding poll.
The poll will cost $35,000.
A report to elected members said the council had engaged with the governance members of the four local iwi entities who do not support the amendments to the Act.
"All four entities have noted their support for council to hold a binding poll at the next election," the report said.
McAnulty said the coalition government had put councils like Masterton in "an impossible situation" because it would cost them to hold a referendum.
"Given the financial struggles facing councils and ratepayers, it's the last thing they need."
In an address to Parliament last week, McAnulty said race was the only motivation behind the bill.
"This is an absolute disgrace," he said.
Establishing Māori wards added an important perspective to local democracy, he said.
"Speaker Kidd mentioned that the reason we can't say that members are racist is because we're fortunate to live in a country where there were no political parties with racist platforms.
"The question I will leave at the end of this speech: is that still true? Is that still true? I would argue, when you look at the basis of this bill, it's not."
In a rebuttal, ACT MP Simon Court said the bill the coalition government was amending had been rushed, receiving Royal Assent less than a month after it was introduced.
"That was a dismantling of our democracy," he said.
"We now have to have a very unfortunate conversation about division by race, forced on us by the previous Labour Government."
South Wairarapa District Council voted last year to establish a Māori Ward for the 2025 and 2028 elections and would also be required to discuss next steps.
Carterton District Council, which voted last year not to establish a Māori ward, would not be impacted by the government change.
- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.