In response, Jepson said he would not resign over his Māori ward push.

“I don’t think people should divided by race,” Jepson said.

He had been elected by a large majority on a plank that included better democracy for his people, he said.

“I have a mandate from my community,” Jepson said.

“I wish that New Zealanders would work together and we didn’t have these growing divisions,” Jepson said.

Jepson said everybody, including Glavish, was entitled to their opinion.

He said Glavish continued to label him as racist, but he was not.

Glavish said the ward’s likely removal was part of KDC’s push to wind back Māori participation, which began soon after Jepson’s election in October 2022.