September 23, 2022
High-flyer Flavell pushed Māori seats for super city
A candidate running for the 4th term on his local board says he’s got unfinished business.
Will Flavell of Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Whatua and Ngāti Maniapoto-Tainui says things have come a long way since 2013, when he was the first Maori to win a seat on the Henderson-Massey Local Board.
He’s trying to encourage more Maori to run, but Auckland needs a law change to bring it into line with what’s happening in the rest of the country.
“So Auckland Council, we’re missing out on Maori seats which is a great shame because if I look across Aotearoa it’s really beautiful to see so many Maori out their names forward and Maori seats are a kaupapa I have pushed for in the last few years. There’s no doubt Tamaki Makaurau will have Maori seats in 2025,” Dr Flavell says.
If re-elected he will have to skip a few meetings to take up a Fulbright fellowship to research and teach among Native American communities in the United States.