A Napier City Councillor since 2007, and a member of Grey Power even longer, Maxine Boag is currently publicity officer and deputy chair of the Napier & Districts Grey Power Association. Here she expresses her view on the desirability of Maori wards.
As I retire after 18 years as a Napier city councillor, I’m encouraged by common sense steps our community is taking to strengthen our democracy.
Once upon a time, it was rare for a woman to be on council or in Parliament but, thankfully, we’ve matured as a nation and representation is now more evident.
Over 150 years there have been just three Māori councillors in Napier even though Māori make up 25 percent of our population. Historically, good candidates have stood but not been voted in. This situation has improved but there is still no guarantee that Maori will be represented.
Councils, including Napier, have ward systems to support equitable representation across the city. Hastings has rural wards to make sure the voice of country folk isn’t swamped by the urban majority. It is the same democratic principle which underpins the Māori wards Napier is introducing this year.
Importantly, Māori wards don’t alter the core democratic principle of “one person, one vote;” and accountability to their electorate. Everyone still has a vote and a say on how their community is governed. The system simply ensures that Māori voters, who choose to be on the Māori electoral roll, can vote for candidates who represent their voice directly.
Unlike rural wards, Parliament has said councils have to hold a referendum to keep Māori wards so I’m encouraging everyone to consider the fairness of ensuring tangata whenua have a voice at council tables.
Agreeing to allow those on the Māori roll to elect Māori ward councillors will allow genuine partnership between council and Māori governing bodies, leading to better outcomes for our community.
Māori deserve representation in making the decisions at governance tables, as was reflected when all Hawkes Bay councils voted overwhelmingly twice for Māori wards. The voices, perspectives, and insights of future Māori ward councillors will strengthen council’s decision-making and enable inclusion of their views in debate rather than commenting from the sidelines.
Māori bring a long-term, inter-generational worldview to governance – one which considers the well-being of people and the environment for generations to come. This perspective is rooted in centuries of knowledge, stewardship, and lived experience. Including Māori voices enriches council decision-making with wisdom to help balance economic, environmental, and social outcomes.
Māori wards promote inclusion and thoughtful debate. They create a space for dialogue, understanding, and genuine partnership, rather than perpetuating the exclusion and resentment which arise from silence and invisibility. Māori wards are about building better governance together – not about favouritism, but about fairness.
There’s also no additional cost to ratepayers. The remuneration pool for elected councillors remains the same; Māori wards simply redistribute existing seats to reflect diverse communities more accurately. In fact, councils with existing Māori wards say they save hundreds of thousands a year thanks to better consultation and decision-making.
At their heart, Māori wards are about respect, balance, and the shared future we’re all building. They uphold democracy by making it more representative, not less. That’s something we should all stand behind.