Sio Su'a William: Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill — In Committee 
Sio Su'a William: Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:657;Page:6436] 
SU’A WILLIAM SIO (Labour—Mangere) 
: 
 That was a brilliant speech from the member for Manukau East Ross Robertson. I say “Well done Ross.” to him. I want to re-emphasise the position of Labour in regard to Maori seats and then I will talk a little about our position on the mayoral position. Then I will get on to the Pacific Advisory Board which we are putting forward in an amendment. 
Hon Tau Henare 
: Advisory board! 
SU’A WILLIAM SIO 
: It is important I say to Mr Henare. The Pacific communities throughout Auckland were prepared to put on hold their ambition to be included at the top table so that they could include and advocate for Maori first and foremost. It was the strong feeling of Pacific communities in the Auckland region and throughout this land of ours that unless the Government got it right for Maori it would never get it right for Pacific and other minority groups. So it was important that we unite to advocate strongly to ensure that Maori are part of the top table of the Auckland Council. 
Those members who did not have the opportunity to listen to the submissions would have missed out on the sea of emotion and passion that people displayed. I myself was quietly surprised to find that those who submitted in support of Maori seats were mainly Pakeha. About 60 percent of those submitters said that it was time that the super-city was a new beginning and that it was important for the Government to be more visionary and to provide strong leadership for the rest of the nation to follow. 
I will give members a quote from one of the submitters. Jill Greer from Beachhaven on the North Shore submitted on only two issues the water supply and the Treaty of Waitangi. The first thing she said was “Any form of water supply should never be privatised.” The second thing she said with regard to the Treaty of Waitangi was “There is no mention at all of the legal obligation to recognise the Treaty by insisting that at least four seats on any council are allocated to Maori and that other minority groups must be officially recognised.” I have another quote from Robyn Laing. Again it gives members a bit of a taste of the overwhelming support for Maori seats. Robyn Laing from Mount Eden in Auckland said: “It is imperative that there is Maori representation on the council. We are in partnership with the tangata whenua.” All the members on the Auckland Governance Legislation Committee would have heard those submissions and would have felt the passion the love the desire that for Pakeha for Pasifika and for Maori the super-city was a new beginning and we ought to include Maori on the council. 
I will share with members an excerpt from the submission made by Ngati Whatua. I think it is important that people hear it. They said: “The simple truth of the matter is that the present system has not delivered Maori councillors in Auckland City local government particularly mana whenua councillors. Auckland has had an Auckland City Council since 1851 and there has never been a Ngati Whatua councillor in any of those 158 years. To the best of our knowledge there has never been any mana whenua councillor in Auckland City. We acknowledge that since the 1960s there have been occasional and intermittent taura here councillors. We can identify eight taura here altogether over the 158 years but that is in the context where Auckland City has usually had 19 or 21 councillors sitting on any 3-year term council.” I think that is another point that people need to understand. Ngati Whatua also said in its submission: “The contribution which Maori make to Tamaki-makau-rau is very substantial and has always been so. Think of the acts that first created the city of Auckland in the first place: the invitation for Hobson to come here and bring his Government and the transfer of lands to enable all that to occur. Think further in the case of Ngati Whatua o Orakei of the other contributions that they have made and continue to make to this city. To keep it very local look at the spaces available to the public at Orakei”—