Katene Rahui: Urgent Debates — Royal Commission on Auckland Governance—Government Response 
Katene Rahui: Urgent Debates — Royal Commission on Auckland Governance—Government Response 
[Volume:653;Page:2528] 
RAHUI KATENE (Maori Party—Te Tai Tonga) 
: 
 The concept of representation is a vital issue in all aspects of our society. Representation is about having a voice and being respected for having unique points of view. It is about having legitimacy; it is at the very heart of democracy. Representation is an important theme in our youth culture—to represent oneself in a way that makes the community proud and to demonstrate responsibility. At the levels of our local and national government we also expect that there would be freedom of expression and the capacity for all members to contribute. 
Participation in the decision-making procedures of local authorities is important for the representativeness and legitimacy of local government. But for tangata whenua for Aotearoa for a nation that is bound by the commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi representation takes on an even more solemn responsibility. Representation is as provided for in the Treaty the means by which tangata whenua have an equitable say in the decisions that affect them. 
But there is something terribly wrong with this picture. In a 2007 post-election survey of local government 
only 3.6 percent of people elected to councils identified themselves as Maori with a further 1.2 percent identifying themselves as European Maori. This percentage has been relatively static for at least the last three elections despite the fact that at the 2006 census Maori were 14.6 percent of the population. This is what we know the current picture of representation to be in this day and at this time. It is not a free market where all players have an equal choice. 
It is not just that we know the numbers; we have the percentage points in hand. We are in a better position than that. Eighteen months ago the report  
Maori engagement with local government: knowledge experiences and recommendations 
 by Dr Christine Cheyne and Veronica Tawhai told us everything we needed to know about how to improve Maori responsiveness to local government. It told us how local government bodies could improve their representation and improve upon their engagement with their citizens. Overwhelmingly the view from Maori was resounding. Maori desire local authorities that are connected responsive and accountable to Maori communities. 
So how did the royal commission respond to this advice? It recommended that all local councils be given Maori names determined by the Local Government Commission after consultation with mana whenua with the new Maori names used by the commission being suggested starting points for consideration. It recommended that the Auckland City Council should comprise 23 councillors with two councillors elected at large by voters on the Maori electoral roll and one councillor appointed by the Mana Whenua Forum. These were honest attempts genuine attempts to do what we must do—to represent. Government has a responsibility to act urgently to address the chronic under-representation of Maori at local government level. This solution was not perfect but it was a positive approach that would provide for political power sharing because Maori would be placed directly into a decision-making role on council. 
I want to say in no uncertain terms that Maori seats deliver accountability by Maori to Maori. Putting it simply a candidate who is elected from a Maori constituency is more likely to represent the views of Maori voters. We know as Professor Ann Sullivan has concluded that at the local government level Maori are unfairly inequitably and disproportionately under-represented on elected councils. That is indisputable. So with all due respect the Minister calling this moment in time “a unique window of opportunity” is at best sadly naive. 
The Government’s decision to scrap the Maori seats and to fail to act in this vital area of representation will not create opportunities for Maori. Let me repeat: Maori are unfairly inequitably and disproportionately under-represented on elected councils. Auckland has the largest Maori population in the world which is drawn from tribes from all over the country and their culture must be expressed in civic affairs. One in four Maori live in Auckland and how are we acknowledging that? How does the decision to scrap legitimate distinctive Maori representation honour our commitment to mana whenua—the people who nurture the city of Tamaki into its growth over the centuries? Maori are already at a disadvantage in local elections and the bigger the region the higher the political and financial hurdles before them. How do we acknowledge that? The Government has rejected the very mechanism that the royal commission concluded would help. 
We know of course that the Local Government Act 2002 has a legislative obligation to “establish and maintain processes to provide for opportunities for Maori to contribute to the decision-making processes of the local authority.” Yet the reality is that Maori representation is always a matter of under-representation or representation that takes place after the event. We had a chance to do something about that. We had a unique window of opportunity and that window has been firmly shut with the decision to reject the recommendations of the commission. 
We want to see local government and regional authorities working with mana whenua establishing effective strategies for engaging Maori communities and advancing Maori representation. Maori do not want to be relegated to forums that present as cultural window dressing; they want to be firmly at the table. Comments made by iwi leaders such at Tukuroirangi Morgan and Grant Hawke have been to the extent that they want to be recognised as power brokers and decision makers at the same table as other community leaders. And why not? We need local authorities to place priority on joint partnerships with iwi in order to enhance Maori representation. We want to see in Tamaki-makau-rau a model of representation that actually engages and reflects the people of its constituency. 
The Maori Party is extremely disappointed by this move. We have received an invitation to meet with local iwi next Wednesday at Orakei Marae and I believe this will be a vital hui to see a way forward. Representation is an issue that is far too important to get wrong. Kia ora.