11. Question No. 11—Local GovernmentMARIAMENO KAPA-KINGI (Te Pāti Māori—Te Tai Tokerau) to the Minister of Local GovernmentQuestion No. 11—Local Government11. MARIAMENO KAPA-KINGI (Te Pāti Māori—Te Tai Tokerau) to the Minister of Local Government: What is his response to the Waitangi Tribunal's finding regarding his bill to reinstate binding polls on Māori wards that the Crown has breached the Treaty principle of partnership by prioritising coalition agreement commitments and completely failing to consult with its Treaty partner or any other stakeholders"?Hon SIMEON BROWN (Minister of Local Government): The Government's objective is to give communities the final decision about whether their district or region will have Māori wards rather than councillors. The Waitangi Tribunal report will be available for the select committee to consider alongside the bill. We look forward to viewing the select committee's recommendations. This Government is restoring local democracy.Mariameno Kapa-Kingi: What is his response to the more than 50 mayors and regional council chairpersons who have criticised this legislation stating that it is an overreach on local decision-making a distraction from the real issues councils are facing and undermines the important contributions that Māori are making?Hon SIMEON BROWN: Well I say to those mayors who wrote to this Government that they should focus on those core issues and I also say to them: why should they be afraid of what the public have to say about Māori wards? What is wrong with local democracy? Ultimately they come into my office and they write letters to me and say "We believe in localism." Well the ultimate localism is giving local people the right to have their say through the ballot box.Mariameno Kapa-Kingi: If this is really about restoring democracy and allowing voters to decide the make-up of their local councils why are you only going after Māori wards but not rural wards?Hon SIMEON BROWN: Well I make this very clear point: when it comes to the rural wards which seems to be the only argument that some people have against our policy the Local Government Commission can take appeals on those wards. And by the way the Local Government Commission has the final say on those wards. What we're saying when it comes to Māori wards is that the last Government took away the ability for any appeal rights not even to the Local Government Commission and we are giving the right to local communities to make that decision for their community.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I wonder whether the Minister will explain to the questioner that all sorts of people including Māori live in the rural wards but everybody who's not a Māori does not live in a Māori ward?Hon SIMEON BROWN: That is a very clear difference between Māori wards and rural wards—that all voters who reside within that geographical boundary are able to vote for the person or their councillor whereas Māori wards are basing the decision on ethnicity. It is this Government's view that those decisions should be made by local communities. And I say to people on the other side of the House: why are you so afraid of the public being able to have their say? It's called democracy."