Post by Kiwi Frontline on Mar 31, 2018 16:56:17 GMT 12
BID TO REDUCE HURDLES TO CREATE MAORI SEATS ON COUNCILS
The binding referendum to decide whether a separate Maori seat will be created on the Western Bay District Council could be one of the last to be held in New Zealand.
Local Government New Zealand, representing the country's 78 councils, has written to the Government seeking to scrap the law that allowed polls of electors on whether or not a council could establish Maori wards.
Last year the Western Bay District Council voted 9-3 in favour of establishing a Maori ward, but a successful petition has forced the council into running a district-wide referendum to decide the issue.
Local Government NZ president and Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull said polling provisions for Maori wards did not apply to the creation of other electoral wards or constituencies.
Mike Lally, one of the Western Bay councillors who opposed a Maori ward, gave the open letter little chance of success after the failure by the Green Party last year to ditch polling provisions for Maori wards. New Zealand First, Labour and National wanted nothing to do with it, he said.
Lally helped lead the petition that gathered more than 4500 signatures - about 2000 more than needed to guarantee organisers had reached the 1708 signatures required to force a poll.
He believed the overwhelming support for the petition had proved that the bid for a Maori ward was doomed to failure. ''People don't want separatism.''.....
www.nzherald.co.nz/local-government/news/article.cfm?c_id=250&objectid=12022862
The binding referendum to decide whether a separate Maori seat will be created on the Western Bay District Council could be one of the last to be held in New Zealand.
Local Government New Zealand, representing the country's 78 councils, has written to the Government seeking to scrap the law that allowed polls of electors on whether or not a council could establish Maori wards.
Last year the Western Bay District Council voted 9-3 in favour of establishing a Maori ward, but a successful petition has forced the council into running a district-wide referendum to decide the issue.
Local Government NZ president and Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull said polling provisions for Maori wards did not apply to the creation of other electoral wards or constituencies.
Mike Lally, one of the Western Bay councillors who opposed a Maori ward, gave the open letter little chance of success after the failure by the Green Party last year to ditch polling provisions for Maori wards. New Zealand First, Labour and National wanted nothing to do with it, he said.
Lally helped lead the petition that gathered more than 4500 signatures - about 2000 more than needed to guarantee organisers had reached the 1708 signatures required to force a poll.
He believed the overwhelming support for the petition had proved that the bid for a Maori ward was doomed to failure. ''People don't want separatism.''.....
www.nzherald.co.nz/local-government/news/article.cfm?c_id=250&objectid=12022862