No easy answer for Māori representation on Kaikōura council

The question of a Māori ward is a complex one for Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura.

While there has been a push nationally for Māori representation on local councils, the issue is not straightforward for Kaikōura’s mana whenua as its takiwā (territory) traverses three districts – Marlborough, Kaikōura and Hurunui.

Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura chairperson Hariata Kahu said the legislation around Māori wards needed to change to make it more workable for South Island mana whenua.

“We are the treaty partner and the Mana Whenua of the area, and we have a role to represent everyone, regardless of whether you are Māori or Pākehā or any culture if you live within the takiwā.

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“But I will support any advancement for Māori, even if I don’t support all of the legislative arrangements around it.

“At present the legislation stated that anyone on the Māori electoral roll could vote in a Māori ward, which meant anyone of Māori descent could stand in a Māori ward,” she said.

“I think the partnership has to occur between Ngāti Kurī (Kaikōura hapū) and the three district councils and that will continue regardless of whether there is a Māori ward.

“The Kaikōura District Council was more straightforward, as Ngāti Kurī was the only hapū in the district and was based in the town. But if the Māori ward was elected from the Māori electoral roll then voters would only get to vote for one councillor, plus the mayor, based on population, while there would be six or seven councillors voted at large on the general roll.

‘‘We talked with the Kaikōura District Council during the last representation review, and we decided a partnership is something we would prefer,’’ she said.

In the Hurunui district, there were two hapū – Ngāti Kurī and Ngāi Tūāhuriri. They were the same iwi, Ngāi Tahu, but did not always agree, Kahu said.

In contrast, in the Marlborough district, the Ngāti Kurī takiwā covered the southern part of the district, while there were several iwi as mana whenua to the north.

‘‘It is probably more difficult for the Marlborough District Council than it is for us, because we are very clear with our boundary.’’