Thinking Of Standing? First Māori Seats In Spotlight Ahead Of Council Elections And Referendum
An information evening for people thinking about standing in this year's local body elections will have a strong focus on the Whanganui's first two Māori ward seats.
The October elections will be the first time Māori voters will have the option of voting in councillors for the district's new Māori ward.
Whanganui District Council will hold a candidate information evening at Te Ao Hou Marae on Friday 16 May at 5.15pm.
The event will feature New Plymouth District councillor Dinnie Moeahu and Manawatū District Māori ward councillor Bridget Bell sharing insights about their experiences in local government.
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 4 July and close at 12 noon on 1 August.
'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 16 June, covering the election more broadly.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
an hour ago
- Scoop
Experts Warn Regulatory Standards Bill Threatens Future Public Health Laws
Public health experts are worried the government's proposed Regulatory Standards Bill will act as a disincentive for future law-makers to limit harmful industries. A group of scholars in health and policy have worked together on a briefing, titled "Regulatory Standards Bill threatens the public interest, public health and Māori rights". It's authors are Jonathan Boston, Michael Baker, Andrew Geddis, Carwyn Jones and Geoffrey Palmer. The Regulatory Standards Bill was introduced to Parliament in May, and is now being considered by the finance and expenditure committee. It would set up a Regulatory Standards Board to consider how legislation measures up to the principles. It was part of ACT's coalition agreement, and in putting the bill forward, party leader David Seymour said: "In a high-cost economy, regulation isn't neutral - it's a tax on growth. This government is committed to clearing the path of needless regulations by improving how laws are made." The bill wants politicians to show their workings, he said. "This bill turns the explanation from politicians' 'because we said so' into 'because here is the justification according to a set of principles'." But Baker said the bill had prompted a large number of concerns, not least from a public health perspective. He said it was problematic that the bill failed to mention public harm in its ethical framework, which was needed to balance out private benefits. Another issue was the "takings or impairment principle". The bill in its current form would allow commercial interests, such as the tobacco or alcohol industries, to seek compensation - paid with public money - if any future legislation caused them to lose money. Baker explained this would have a "chilling effect" on public health measures. He said it would make it less appealing for governments to create any new legislation aimed at protecting public health which could negatively impact harmful industries, which might then seek compensation. This could include the denicotinisation of cigarettes, alcohol restrictions like sponsorship bans, controls on unhealthy food and drink such as limiting marketing to children, and clean air provisions such as mandating emissions reductions by industry. This bill would mean taxpayers paid to compensate these businesses for the money lost because of moves to protect public health. "And that's going to make it very difficult for any groups - even governments - promoting new public health laws and regulations, that are intended to protect the public interest." The briefing notes that, rather than this being a by-product of the legislation's overall goal, it "appears to be the Bill's intention". Seymour response Seymour accused Baker of "alarmism". "What the bill actually says is that if a politician or government department wants to pass a regulation that infringes on your private property rights, they'll need to justify why. Inconsistency with the principles does not prevent any new legislation from being passed. All it requires is transparency to the taxpayer. That's not radical, it's democratic accountability. If a policy is justified, it will stand up to scrutiny." "The Regulatory Standards Bill will help New Zealand get its mojo back. It requires politicians and officials to ask and answer certain questions before they place restrictions on citizens' freedoms. What problem are we trying to solve?" Seymour asked. "What are the costs and benefits? Who pays the costs and gets the benefits? What restrictions are being placed on the use and exchange of private property?" "This Bill turns 'because we said so' into 'because here's the evidence'."
Scoop
9 hours ago
- Scoop
Kahungunu Submission Rejects The Regulatory Standards Bill In Its Entirety
The Regulatory Standards Bill (RSB), currently before the New Zealand Parliament, aims to improve the quality of regulation by establishing clear benchmarks for good law-making and increasing transparency. It seeks to reduce unnecessary and poor-quality regulation, promoting economic efficiency and accountability in the regulatory system. The bill introduces a set of "principles of responsible regulation" that all new and existing legislation must comply with. We do not agree! Immediate Rejection. This submission strongly recommends the immediate rejection of the RSB in its entirety. Te Tiriti Embedding: All regulation and policy should explicitly reference and operationalise Te Tiriti o Waitangi. This includes requiring co-governance arrangements and meaningful engagement with iwi and hapū at all stages of regulatory and policy development and implementation. The RSB represents a significant threat to Aotearoa New Zealand's constitutional framework, democratic processes, and the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The bill's numerous flaws and its potential for far-reaching negative consequences, as highlighted by extensive expert analysis, necessitate its withdrawal. Its potential to undermine Māori rights, weaken environmental protections, and exacerbate social and economic inequalities, as evidenced by the concerns raised by Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated and numerous experts, is deeply concerning. This submission urges the government to withdraw the RSB and initiate a genuine and inclusive process for building on existing and international best practice regulatory frameworks including 'Black, Indigenous, Peoples of Colour', 'United Nations Declaration Rights of Indigenous Peoples' and 'Universal Declaration of Human Rights', which reflects unique values and priorities of Aotearoa.
RNZ News
14 hours ago
- RNZ News
NZ: Pacific and Māori student support cut
Photo: RNZ / Ziming Li Education advocates in Aotearoa New Zealand say a government decision to remove special funding for Pacific and Māori students in vocational training harks back to the days of a one-size-fits-all model. The funding cut applies to a per-student subsidy for Pacific and Māori enrolments at polytechnics and private training institutions. Currently, the subsidiary is used to help fund dedicated support services for these students. However, the Tertiary Education Commission - the government agency responsible for distributing - has stated that it is being re-prioritised. Tertiary Education Union national secretary Sandra Grey said the move was a huge step backwards. It also contradicted official advice to vocational education minister Penny Simmonds. A cabinet paper from January advised the government to keep the subsidy, which came out of a fund of about NZ$28 million. Specifically, officials recommended it be kept to help "achieve equitable outcomes" for three groups of learners - Māori and Pacific students, students with low achievement levels, and disabled students. While the funding allocation has remained for students with low achievement levels and disabled students, the money for Pacific and Māori has gone elsewhere. That decision from policy makers, Grey said, further hurt Pacific and Māori students who were already underserved in the New Zealand education system. "What we do know with dedicated funding is that we get positions like a Māori learning support expert who comes in and works with Māori students, or a Pacific staff member who comes in and supports Pacific students," she said. Tertiary Education Union president Dr Sandra Grey Photo: RNZ / Ian Telfer These included initiatives and programmes like provided mentoring, guidance and peer support to Pacific and Māori. "We've seen from history is that when there is no dedicated fund, institutions deprioritise this work because there aren't dedicated funds. They do what they are funded to do," Grey said. "They've [the government] just said: 'It doesn't matter that you're Māori or Pacific. That has no bearing on your learning.' They are wrong. Everything says these students learn better when they have dedicated support from Māori and Pacific staff." The funding cut was indicative of the government's lack of understanding around why a "one-size-fits-all model in education" did not work, she said. At Manukau Institute of Technology in South Auckland, senior lecturer Alby Fitisemanu said the impact of programmes and support services specific to Pacific and Māori was not to be underestimated. Most of Fitisemanu's students were Pacific and Māori. The support services for these students helped ensure they moved beyond enrolment, he said. For example, programmes and support services contributed to student attainment and success, particularly because many Pacific and Māori often felt out-of-place in tertiary institutions, Fitisemanu said. "The problem we're having now is for the Pasifika [students] who are enrolled... very few complete along the journey. And so it's being able to bring in those supports all the way through their journey." Labour's tertiary education spokersperson Shanan Halbert said the funding cut was part of a bigger revamp to the sector where references to the needs of Māori and Pacific students were being removed from education legislation. Alongside that, references to Te Tiriti o Waitangi were also being deleted, he said. It was inconsistent with research on student needs in Aotearoa, Halbert said. "If you look at where Māori and Pacific learners sit in our education system, they have the greatest need, and so the the additional support is required to ensure that they're achieving what they need to. But also that they're that they're staying within the courses until they're completed." Minister Simmonds responded to questions from RNZ Pacific in a statement. National Party MP Penny Simmonds in select committee. Photo: Phil Smith She said the government was working towards "a more streamlined, outcomes-focused approach that supports all learners… through mechanisms that are targeted, evidence-based, and accountable". Simmonds also acknowledged the advice she'd received from education officials, but said the decision to remove the Māori and Pacific enrolment subsidiary had been a Cabinet decision. "The Cabinet collectively agreed that a broader reset of vocational education funding was needed to reduce complexity and ensure every dollar delivers results." When asked where the funding for Māori and Pacific was being directed, she said details were yet to be finalised.
