April 13, 2021
Tauranga commissioners uphold Maori ward choice
Tauranga City Council commissioners have unanimously voted to establish a Māori ward.
It confirms the decision of the former council to support a Māori ward, and it’s a poke in the eye for the 5000 people who signed a petition that would have triggered a binding referendum under legislation which was repealed last month.
The Taxpayers Union lobby group says the decision was undemocratic and breaches the convention that commissioners should run the council in a caretaker mode.
But Tauranga kaumātua Buddy Mikaere told yesterday’s meeting claims the move would be undemocratic was laughable, as the commissioners were using a process created by a democratically elected Government.
He says tangata whenua supported the establishment of a Māori ward.
Copyright © 2021, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com