The Government's plans for Māori wards have been labelled "just another racist attack" by a Northland councillor.
Yesterday, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown announced the Government will introduce a bill that restores communities' ability to hold referendums on Māori wards. The bill was part of National's coalition commitments with ACT and NZ First.
Pera Paniora was elected as the first Māori ward councillor for Kaipara District Council in 2022. She swiftly made headlines when Mayor Craig Jepson stopped Paniora from doing a karakia before a council meeting, leading to a months-long stoush.
"Who has the problem with the Māori wards?" she asked Breakfast this morning.
"Is it the general public or is it a small few coalition partners that have the issue with them?
"I'm not surprised at all, it's just another racist, systematic attack on Māori."
The previous government had passed legislation allowing councils to decide on whether to establish Māori wards for their cities or districts.
The law stripped a provision that previously allowed communities to veto Māori wards in a vote.
With that provision's return, at least 5% of local voters would need to signal to councils that they wanted a referendum – and referendums would be held on wards established in the 2022 local body elections, after Labour's legislation came into effect.
"I don't believe that the Government does have a mandate to do [this]," Paniora said. "This is being driven by one of the – ironically – minor parties of this three-headed taniwha that's come out of this coalition deal."
ACT Leader David Seymour, who has long been opposed to the principle of Māori wards, yesterday called the current law "undemocratic" and welcomed the new bill.
Paniora said: "They're looking to go back in time and do the process in terms of the referendums that didn't occur for councillors such as myself [established in 2022], but it's just another racist attack.
"It's very unproductive, it'll be costly as well – and at a time when we're looking at inflated rates and increases in rates, I mean, what is the point? Are we doing such a horrible job that our wards do need to be disestablished? I don't think so."
'Local community members deserve to have a say'
Brown yesterday called the previous government's changes "divisive". He said they "denied local communities the ability to determine whether to establish Māori wards".
"Local community members deserve to have a say in their governance arrangements."
Seymour said: "The consequence of Labour's push for co-governance is that which group you belong to is more important than the dignity inherent in every individual person.
"This Government is determined to stop dividing New Zealanders along superficial lines. We must celebrate the common humanity that unites all people and stop seeking ways to divide us with group rights and collective identity."
'Pillaging our nation'
Paniora wasn't the only critical voice. Te Pāti Māori called the bill the "next attack" on Māori.
"ACT are again pillaging our nation with modern day colonisation, silencing our voices, and ensuring our rights to be heard and represented are trampled," Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi said.
Waititi said having 5% of the people making a determination for the other 95% of the community is "like Te Pāti Māori making all the decisions for the nation in the current Parliament".
The Green Party called the move a "racist" step backwards that "disregards Te Tiriti o Waitangi", while Labour said the bill is a "kick in the guts" for the Māori community that will "stir up fear, division, and even violence in our local communities".
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