Thursday’s rally will take place outside Whangārei District Council’s new headquarters, Te Iwitahi.
Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf
Whangārei becomes the latest district council to decide the future of its Māori wards when councillors vote on Thursday.
A rally by supporters of Māori wards will be held outside the council offices.
A new law which came into effect last month requires all councils to decide, by 6 September, between abolishing their Māori wards or holding a binding poll alongside next year’s local body elections.
At Thursday’s meeting, councillors will be asked to choose between three options.
They can opt to keep the Whangarei District Māori ward for the 2025-28 term and hold a binding poll alongside next year’s local election to determine whether Māori wards will continue in 2028 and 2031.
Alternatively, they can choose to abolish the Māori ward from 2025 and either revert to the wards used in the 2019 election, or carry out a shortened representation review to adjust ward boundaries and councillor numbers for the next election.
Whangārei District Council currently has two Māori ward councillors, Phoenix Ruka and Deb Harding, elected at large across the district.
On Tuesday, the Northland Regional Council voted eight to one to retain its two-seat Te Raki Māori ward, and six to three to seek advice on the consequences of not holding a poll at the 2025 elections.
During a fiery meeting earlier this month, Kaipara District Council voted 6 to 3 to disestablish its Te Moananui o Kaipara Māori ward, currently held by councillor Pera Paniora.
It was the first council in the country to use the new law to abolish a Māori ward from 2025.
Kaipara’s decision is, however, being challenged by Ngāti Whatua, which has requested a judicial review on the grounds the council did not meet its consultation obligations prior to the vote.
Far North District councillors have already indicated they intend to retain the four-seat Ngā Tai o Tokerau Māori Ward.
They are due to hold a formal vote on 5 September.
Northland was the first region in New Zealand to establish Māori wards across all its councils, after a 2021 law change removed the requirement for a binding poll on Māori wards if requested by 5 percent of electors.
That law change has now been reversed.
