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Auckland mayoral candidate Mark Thomas wants the likely winner of the contest to limit the role of the Independent Maori Statutory Board in the council.
At this week’s Nga Whare Waatea mayoral debate, Mr Thomas says that rather than just say he supports Maori seats, as mayor, Phil Goff should propose Maori seats and wear the risk that electors vote it down by referendum.
In a subsequent release he said Auckland effectively has Maori seats now with Mayor Len Brown giving the Independent Maori Statutory Board voting membership on 15 of council’s 18 committees, including the four committees of the whole which usually make all key council decisions.
He says as a sitting councillor he has seen this create division and frustrate decision making and he wants a change.
"So what I want to do is focus it more on the natural and physical resource issues which the Act says it should be focused on, Maori have an innate reason to be involved in that. Let's focus on that so we can do a stronger and better job there," Mr Thomas says.
He voted against including an overlay of sites of value to Maori in the Unitary Plan because there is not a proper way of measuring those sites.
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