April 26, 2022
Numbers against Rotorua Māori ward plan
Former New Zealand First MP Shane Jones says a bill to create unique voting set up Rotorua Lakes Council looks dead in the water.
The private bill would create a Māori ward and a general ward, each with three seats, along with four seats elected at large.
Attorney General David Parker has reported it would be in breach of the Bill of Rights.
Mr Jones says wearing his other hat as Environment Minister, Mr Parker is trying to rewrite the Resource Management Act, and the protection of Maori interests will be top of his mind.
“I think the bill raises a very deep question. To what extent can the principle of parity be implemented if it flies in the face of proportionality? By that I mean 22,000 members on the Māori roll in Rotorua will have the opportunity to vote for the same number of members as 52,000. That is never going to fly,” he says.