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The mayor of Manawatū remains unmoved by yesterday’s hikoi asking her to revisit the council’s rejection of Māori wards.
Helen Worboys says she will put the question again next year – too late to have a seat included in the 2022 local government election.
She says if the Government wants Māori wards it should have been legislated for them rather than forcing the decisions on councils – especially since Manawatū had been overruled by a binding referendum when it tried to create a Māori seat in 2018.
"We couldn't ignore the voice of our community with such a high number of people and we wanted the time to talk to our community, to help them understand and educate them about what this is all about and why it is so important because we want to take our community with us on this decision," she says.
Helen Worboys says Manawatū District has done a lot of work on building up its relationship with Māori – but iwi collective Te Kōtui Reo says as a result of the council’s vote it is withdrawing from the formal engagement.
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