First Māori seats in spotlight ahead of Whanganui District Council elections and referendum
Both councillors are members of Te Maruata, the Local Government New Zealand network supporting Māori elected members.
The Whanganui council's deputy electoral officer and democracy services manager, Anna Palamountain, said the event would be a chance for people to hear about the reality of being a councillor and learn about the rules for standing for election.
Nominations open on July 4 and close at noon on August 1.
'So, if you haven't already, now is the time to be thinking about standing up and representing your community as a councillor – or shoulder-tapping others who you think would be well-suited for the role,' Palamountain said.
'Even if you're not personally planning to run for council, this event will be a great chance to learn how Whanganui's new Māori ward will work.'
Māori wards for councils are similar to Māori electorates in Parliament. Voters on the Māori electoral roll elect Māori ward councillors, and general roll voters elect general ward councillors.
Whanganui will have one Māori ward with two councillors, 10 general ward councillors and the mayor.
Council chief executive David Langford said Māori ward councillors, just like general ward councillors, would represent the whole community and take an oath to serve all residents and ratepayers.
'The idea behind having a Māori ward is to increase Māori representation at local government level, as despite making up nearly a quarter of our district's population, people of Māori descent have historically been under-represented in Whanganui in terms of elected members,' Langford said.
The Māori ward referendum being conducted as part of the 2025 local elections will also be discussed.
'At the same time as they vote for councillors and mayor, voters will be asked whether they support the continuation of a Māori ward in our district or not,' Langford said.
The council decided in October last year to introduce Māori wards. During community consultation, 53% of submissions supported Māori wards.
Langford said the referendum was imposed by central government and could cost ratepayers $45,000.
The first information evening at Te Ao Hou Marae on Somme Parade is free to attend, with all welcome.
A second information event will be held at the War Memorial Hall on Monday, June 16, covering the election more broadly.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
10 hours ago
- Scoop
Affordable Homes To Address Rotorua Housing Shortage
Associate Minister of Housing Rotorua whānau will enjoy greater access to modern affordable housing thanks to a community-led partnership delivering 189 affordable homes backed by the Government, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. Up to 150 of these will be social housing homes to be delivered by end-June 2027 under a new community-led approach through the Rotorua Lakes Council (RLC), the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Community Housing Providers. In addition, a project consisting of 39 affordable rentals will be delivered in 12-months by Ōwhata Kōhanga Rākau, which is partly funded by HUD's Māori Housing programme. 'Rotorua is a priority location for housing,' Mr Potaka says. 'We're backing community-led solutions to address the need here, which has seen disproportionate numbers of people in emergency and temporary housing, and about 700 applicants waiting on the social housing register. 'Rental affordability has been a long-standing issue. Some whānau have struggled to find an affordable rental home so they've been limited to emergency and social housing. 'The new homes will complement RLC's new Rotorua Housing Plan to enable iwi and hapu housing aspirations, increase housing choice and support diverse housing needs. The plan was developed with extensive local engagement. 'As promised, we are also making solid progress toward ending Contracted Emergency Housing. We prioritised exiting two motels located near Whakarewarewa Village and this will be followed by the exit of a further two motels by the end of July, with all remaining motels exited before the end of the year. 'Progress has been the result of the Government's significant investment in the city, working with central government agencies such as HUD, leadership from Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell and the RLC, as well as by Iwi and other local parties to increase social and affordable housing. 'The 150 social homes to be delivered are part of the 1,500 homes to be built by CHPs and funded from Budget 2024. The Government committed $140 million in new funding for 1,500 new social housing places in May last year. Funding has been approved for these Rotorua social homes under this pathway. 'The 39 affordable rental homes are part of a $200 million package announced in February that will enable the delivery of 400 affordable rentals in high-need areas by the end of June 2027. 'Further to the 189 new homes announced today, the Government is also in the early stages of progressing a further 80 affordable rental homes for whānau Māori in Rotorua and we'll have more details on this next stage soon.'
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Otago Daily Times
Legal action over changes to resource teaching roles 'possible'
By Rachel Helyer Donaldson of RNZ The country's largest teaching union is considering legal action against the government's decision to cut resource teachers in primary schools, confirmed last month as part of the Budget. Ministry of Education documents from February show that 84 schools employed resource teachers for literacy support, 40 employed resource teachers for Māori and three schools employed both. Nationally, there are a maximum of 121 full-time positions for Resource Teachers of Literacy (RTL) and 53 for Resource Teachers of Māori (RTM). Minister for Education Erica Stanford said that was a small number of teachers for the country's 2000 primary schools, and, during a consultation process in March, schools had told her the current system was "not equitable". Stanford said funding was now in place for 349 structured literacy teachers, who would provide support within classrooms - rather than driving from school to school as was the case under the current system - and she encouraged literacy resource teachers "who are amazingly well-qualified and passionate people" to consider applying for those roles. NZEI national secretary Stephanie Mills said the union was waiting on more information from Stanford about how she came to the decision, and then it would decide next steps. "We've said from the beginning of the consultation process that we will explore all options to keep those resources intact. It's not about getting rid of a certain number of positions, it's a service that's been built up over time." 'Disrespected and gaslit' Mills said NZEI had requested details about how Stanford reached her decision via an official information request. The union had asked to see the consultation document prior to the announcement and was told that would be provided a fortnight in advance, but confirmation the roles would be defunded came as part of the Budget. Teachers felt "really disrespected and gaslit" as a result, she added. "These teachers are some of our most experienced and skilled, and they're not being treated in a good way." Mills said many of the current resource teachers were working in rural places and she feared those schools would no longer get the same support. "It will be quite a different role in the new system. The [same] service won't exist and the jobs won't exist." Mills said it was an "irony" the literacy resource roles were being cut, "when the government wants structured literacy". Meanwhile RTMs were, in many situations, the only frontline support for kaiako and tamariki Māori. "Māori RTs are like a taonga." Not a cut but 'a reinvestment' Stanford said she would not be commenting on what action the resource teachers might take. The move was about schools and students, not the teachers, she said. "It's about the way we deliver the service, and this advice was given to me by the sector itself, by schools saying 'the way the model is being delivered it's not equitable and many schools are missing out' ... The ones who are getting the service may not have the greatest need, so it's very inequitable. "What we are doing is shifting that model to an in-class delivery - small groups, intervention teachers, in school." Stanford said the NZ Resource Teachers Literary Association had had "clear information and met multiple times with ministry officials" and they had been "very clear about the reasons, about the opportunities for them in other roles, and they've met a number of times and they have been given that information". The move was not a cut but a "reinvestment", Stanford insisted. "We've already resourced 349 Tier 2 structured literacy intervention roles, over and above the 100 literacy positions that there currently are, so it is not a cut, it is a reinvestment into a better delivery model."
Scoop
2 days ago
- Scoop
Māori Tamariki And Rangatahi In The Oranga Tamariki System Are Still Being Failed
Press Release – Ihorangi Reweti Peters It is crucial that both Oranga Tamariki and the New Zealand Police invest in adequate partnerships with Iwi, Mori and community initiatives that support tamariki and rangatahi Mori that are in care of Oranga Tamariki and with care experience, Mr … The outcomes for tamariki and rangatahi Māori and their whānau in the Oranga Tamariki system report, found that tamariki and rangatahi Māori and their whānau are still over-represented and drastically let down within the system. The first report on the performance of the Oranga Tamariki system for Māori was published today by Aroturuki Tamariki the Independent Children's Monitor. State Care survivor and advocate, Ihorangi Reweti Peters, who grew up in the Oranga Tamariki system, says this report shines a light on the performance of the Oranga Tamariki system and that Māori tamariki and rangatahi are still being failed by the very system that is supposed to be caring for them. 'The Independent Children's Monitor found that Oranga Tamariki and NZ Police have strategies in place to address inequality and over-representation but there are barriers to making progress. It is crucial that both Oranga Tamariki and the New Zealand Police invest in adequate partnerships with Iwi, Māori and community initiatives that support tamariki and rangatahi Māori that are in care of Oranga Tamariki and with care experience,' Mr Reweti Peters says. 'These partnerships need to be increased so that our whānau, tamariki and rangatahi Māori have a safe and reliable organisation to raise concerns with. Oranga Tamariki is known to have multiple partnerships, sometimes these partnerships are not the best. 'The report also found that Oranga Tamariki is not always taking action to respond to reports of concern at the earliest opportunity. They found that almost half of the reports of concerns, resulted in a decision to take no further action. The reporting period 2023/24 showed that 52% of the reports of concerns received by Oranga Tamariki were for tamariki and rangatahi who identified as Māori. 'Early intervention is key to responding to reports of concern and supporting these whānau and making sure that our tamariki and rangatahi Māori remain out of Oranga Tamariki care. Ngā Maata Waka and Oranga Tamariki were working in partnership to provide community-led initiatives that responds to reports of concern. This successful initiative no longer operates due to a lack of funding and the roll-out of a new National Contact Centre localised response. 'This initiative was crucial for Māori whānau as it was a by Māori for Māori approach – where tamariki, rangatahi and whānau can engage in the ways that they want to respond to the report of concern. If this service is not reinstated our whānau will continue to fall through the cracks and not receive the right support that they are entitled too. 'I welcome the report today by the Independent Children's Monitor and I hope that Oranga Tamariki, in the interim, will improve the outcomes for tamariki and rangatahi Māori. However, Oranga Tamariki is still in no place to care for some of Aotearoa New Zealand's most vulnerable children and young people. I echo the calls from survivors, academics and whānau, that Oranga Tamariki needs to be dismantled and Iwi, Hāpū and Whānau need to take over the provisions of caring for our tamariki and rangatahi,' says Mr Reweti Peters
