August 15, 2022
Young councillors take Aotearoa forward
The chair of Local Government New Zealand’s Te Maruata Māori network says the younger generation of elected members is ready to embrace Te Tiriti o Waitangi in governance.
Nominations have now closed for October’s local body elections, at which 35 councils will have Māori wards or constituencies for the first time.
Bonita Bigham says those new members should be coming into councils that are far more willing to listen to Māori views if the attitude of the under-40-year-olds at the recent LGNZ conference was an indicator.
“It’s about having te Tiriti as the basis, as the foundation for everything we do – partnerships, relationships, whatever – not just our Māori young elected members who have this vision, it’s the young elected member sector as a whole. It is the young people coming through with a wider understanding, with a greater appreciation, with a greater feeling of manaakitanga, one towards each other, so they are the ones who are going to be taking Aotearoa forward,” she says.
Ms Bigham says younger councillors want to make mokopuna decisions because they realise the decisions made now will affect those who come after.