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December 20, 2021
Dalton confident three seat plan will prevail
Waatea Team
Posted On December 20, 2021
Download AudioAn Auckland councillor is confident a proposal to add three Māori seats to the council will get widespread support.
Māori portfolio head Angela Dalton was on a subcommittee that worked with the Independent Māori Statutory Board members on the proposal, which the council agreed last week should go out for consultation with mana whenua and matāwaka.
The proposal, drawing on recommendations of the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance that led to the creation of the super city, is for one appointed member and two wards chosen by voters on the Māori roll.
“So we will proceed. I am confident the feedback will say we should have as many Māori seats as possible and the model from the Royal Commission is three and anyone else that can get elected through the normal election process,” Ms Dalton says.
She says the formula used for other councils would only allow for one or at most two Māori seats, but that would not work for Auckland because a law change is needed to increase the council size.
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