December 05, 2023
Opotiki opts for Māori wards after poll
Ōpōtiki District Council has voted in favour of Māori wards for the 2025 and 2028 local body elections.
Mayor David Moore says a non-binding poll at the last election found a slim 14 vote majority in favour of Maori wards.
Last week’s extraordinary meeting followed extensive public consultation, and he says it’s long overdue for Maori to be at the table.
“We are more than 50 percent Maori (in the district) and the general roll and the Maori roll are almost the same so we looked at all that information and on the day it was well thought through and debated, voices from both sides, and it came out,” Mr Moore says.