Hobson’s Pledge is calling on the incoming Government to require all Maori wards to be confirmed by referenda, even those where Councils have recently passed a resolution imposing them. Councils all over New Zealand have rushed to beat any legislative change by the incoming Government and should not be rewarded for rushing through changes without a community mandate.

Despite 548 submissions, 69% of which were in opposition, Kapiti Coast District Council has voted to create a Maori ward in the district.

"There’s little point in undertaking consultation if the consultation is ignored," Hobson's Pledge spokesperson Don Brash says.

"Fake consultation is worse than no consultation because ratepayers are left feeling they have wasted their time and confidence in the local democratic process, already low, is eroded.”

The official announcement from Kapiti Coast District Council includes the lamest excuses for ignoring community feedback (our emphasis):

Mayor Janet Holborow said that “While the overall result of the feedback from our communities was not in favour of a Māori ward, the breakdown of the results showed strong support from younger respondents.

“These rangatahi are the future of our district. We want to encourage them to have their say on civic and democratic matters, so they need to see that we are listening to them. The community engagement also highlighted that those on the Māori electoral roll, who are most directly affected by this decision, were more supportive of establishing a Māori roll compared to those not on the Māori roll. We’ve committed to be a Council that listens, and that means listening to mana whenua and our wider Māori community, and drilling down below the surface results,” Mayor Holborow said.*

“It is extraordinary that some ratepayers must be ignored so that the council can demonstrate it is listening to other ratepayers. When a Council discounts feedback from some ratepayers and not others, it isn’t democracy, and Mayor Holborow knows it,” Don Brash says.

* https://www.kapiticoast.govt.nz/whats-on/news/2023/november/kapiti-coast-district-to-have-a-maori-ward/ 

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