This is my brief take on Māori wards, and why I think they aren’t a healthy way forward. A lot of people have already made up their mind and some have even already voted, and that’s just fine. This is only one person’s point of view which you can take or leave – and either way, I don’t think it will be a train smash if Māori wards stay or go – least of all for Māori.
We could get into all sorts of questions like what was or wasn’t committed to in the Treaty of Waitangi, but Māori wards are really just about one thing: representation in a democracy. If that’s not happening as has been claimed, then it’s a problem that deserves to be fixed. But the issue with Māori wards as I see it, is that they cannot – and will not – do that.
Democracy only works if people show up to vote and understand why they’re voting. I worry that carving out separate electoral wards for any group not only doesn’t strengthen that process, it is actually a recipe to weaken it. It creates a space where voter engagement can wither even further, and where candidates can succeed not through broad support but because of low turnout and political alignment with specific vested interests. That will be a cost for all of us to bear.
We should also take a few lessons from history.
Māori seats in Parliament were introduced in the 19th century as a very practical way of giving Māori men without individual land titles the ability to vote. But what was originally intended as a temporary fix has now become a permanent feature, and one that arguably hasn’t delivered on its promise of better outcomes for Māori.
And remember when New Zealand went nuclear-free in 1987? Can anyone even recall the actual reasons why? For a refresher, you can read about it here. Ever since then, I believe we’ve been basking in a kind of self-righteous glow that often outweighs the practicalities. Māori wards risk heading down the same track — symbolic, entrenched, and ultimately ineffective at solving the real issues (if they even get remembered).
The reality is there is no such thing as a ‘temporary fix’ in politics. Once baked in, a thing can hang around long after its purpose is done.
Māori are not children, and yet Māori wards treat them as if they are – that’s demeaning to everyone. Life throws challenges at all of us in different ways, but the most important breakthroughs don’t come from handouts – they come from within.
There’s a well-known proverb: “If you give a man a fish, he will be hungry tomorrow. If you teach a man to fish, he will be richer forever.”
Māori wards are like giving the fish, and I think we can do much better than that.
Councillor Duncan reporting in again, and has anybody noticed there is an election happening in October? A recent poll I came across on Facebook seemed to indicate John Funnell and Zane Cozens as the current frontrunners, which is quite a turnaround if it’s true (okay, so it will exclude youngsters and oldsters who never touch Facebook). Because this town has been stuck on David Trewavas for so long it is hard for some of us to imagine having anybody else at the helm, just like it felt when I was a kid with Prime Minister Robert Muldoon. But just like Taupo weather is so much less exciting than near the coast, I think people here have been way too conservative too long for our own good. Local government affects everyone, and it is about time this fact gets realised.
This week we have:
Censorship on the field: If you missed my Tuesday post on the absurd Facebook censoring of cutting local political satire, see it here. Because if you want it unfiltered, you’re just gonna have to keep on coming on back to this page.
Stuck with it, or steady as she goes? This happened a several months ago now, and perhaps I just wasn’t looking hard enough but I didn’t see mention of it elsewhere. Anyway the current CEO of Taupo District Council Julie Gardyne had her contract renewed for another two years starting around July 2026. This was another one of those decisions of elected members made behind closed doors (this time legitimately because it was an employment matter), but I can tell you the vote was definitely not unanimous. Irrespective of performance, I objected on the basis that an incoming Council should be given that prerogative and not the current, and at very most the contract extension should have been for no more than six months to let the incoming Council settle down and decide. But instead it looks like we are stuck with an expensive severance package if any change is so desired, so if that comes to pass then you can thank your current batch of more conservative Councillors.
Overpaid or under-appreciated? While we are on this subject of our most well-paid of public servants, The Taxpayers Union did a recent Facebook post and also published a Rich List for comparison of CEO salaries around the country. My own thoughts about this are somewhat ambivalent. On the one hand, I think the elevation in status and authority of what pre-1989 was effectively just the Town Clerk, is a factor why costs to ratepayer consumers have escalated. On the other hand, I know of private business owners in my own field who earn much more and for possibly also much less hassle (note: I am not one of those by a very long shot).
GEYSER of opportunity: Interested in investing to benefit local worthy causes of your choice? Look no further than the GEYSER Community Foundation, which I attended their AGM at the Cosmopolitan Club on Tuesday. I have never been much involved or even interested in community fundraising, let alone attending an AGM for one. But this outfit came across as really quite interesting – they don’t just get the money and give it away like most charities and Council do, they invest the capital and give away only a portion of the profits (around 3% currently, but they are aiming for 4%). They cover the Rotorua, Taupo and also Murupara districts, and last year some 20% of the $234K was distributed to Taupo and Turangi in all sorts of local projects from helping out disabled kids with their music lessons to who knows what. Anyway, if you are interested in sustainable local investment or even if you want to apply for a grant yourself, they seem like a bunch of smart people and I suggest you give them a call.
Maori Wards anyone? Someone put me onto this brief interview as a case for Maori Wards, but I have to say it is far convincing. In addition, a movement called Common Grace Aotearoa is now calling Māori wards a ‘biblical issue’, and I’ve even heard them frame the Treaty before as a sacred covenant. I’m a believer myself and accept that religion and politics do mix, but let’s be clear: the Treaty is a political document, not scripture. Councils are bound by statute, not theology. And as the book of James should remind us, faith without works is dead – the real test for Māori wards isn’t whether they can be justified from the Bible, it’s whether they actually deliver accountability and effectiveness in Council. On the other side of the argument, I find this account here with an analogy to Europe before the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 to be the more compelling. In any case, I personally think in this district that Māori wards are a trivial red herring compared to the broken democracy we have going on right now under the current leadership.
Sensible Speed Limits? You may have noticed that some State Highway One speed limits between Taupō and Tūrangi were raised a few months ago. In a some locations that may make sense, but I seriously question the lifting from 60 km/hr to 100 km/hr outside Motutere campground which seems unsafe and will likely need revisiting. What’s more concerning is that Council’s ‘submission’ on the changes, signed off by the Deputy Mayor, was only shown to the rest of elected members after it went in. In my view, if we want central government agencies like NZTA to take us seriously, we need to present a reasoned case backed by hard evidence including things like safety data. Otherwise it’s just advocacy without substance, and too easy to get flipped off.
Liability shared or liability averted? This RNZ interview with a lawyer representing Councils is an interesting take on the governments move to change the Building Act. I am not sure if this will help consumers or not, because it sounds like insurance costs could skyrocket.
Trust your Council? “Only 30% of Kiwis trusted council decision-making, and that was in 2020” – so says Erika Harvey on RCR in this half hour interview.
Anyone have a fence? I have some election billboards still looking for a home, so if you support me and have a fence which people look at then please get in touch.
Friday Funny from The Onion: Nowadays news on TV be like…(WARNING: includes some graphic language)
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