NZ - The Start Of Push Back Against Coon Wards

[Ryan-NZ]

"Protest opposing Rotorua Lakes Council Māori wards 'disappointing' - Rawiri Waititi - NZ Herald"

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/kahu/protest-opposing-rotorua-lakes-council-maori-wards-disappointing-rawiri-waititi/LS3WNXBKJQD3IFQQRL23NLYGU4/

Excerpt: "Save our democracy."

That was the call from about 40 people who gathered outside Rotorua Lakes Council on Tuesday morning to protest against its pursuit of "iwi co-governance".

However, a Māori academic who observed the demonstration said, in her view, it was motivated by "ignorance and fear".

Waiariki MP Rawiri Waititi says it's "disappointing" people are "threatened" by Māori wards.

Demonstration organiser Jo-Anne La Grouw told Local Democracy Reporting the council's adopted governance model, of one Māori ward seat, one general ward seat and eight at-large seats, was not democratic.

She said a blog post prompted her into action.

"I thought, everybody's against it but nobody's doing anything."

She believed many wanted to remove Māori wards, which the council adopted in May followed by the 'interim' model in November.

It was also pursuing a local bill through Parliament to allow its preferred model of three Māori ward seats, three general ward seats and four at-large seats.

The model is currently unlawful under the Local Electoral Act.

In a statement provided by La Grouw, the group said the council was "riding roughshod over its ratepayers in an effort to achieve its objective of iwi co-governance".

"Co-governance is basically the antithesis of democracy... the minority ruling over the majority."

Rotorua district councillors Reynold Macpherson and Peter Bentley attended the demonstration.

Macpherson said he opposed the interim model, saying as the district's Māori roll was smaller than the general roll, it gave Māori ward voters 2.6 times the voting power of those not.

"We have a right to a thing called equal suffrage. That means we all have the same voting power."

Demonstrator Jocelyn Green said she believed the council was "trying to give [Māori] extra seats".

"They're trying to put people into positions they're not elected to."

She said she could not expand on how that would happen.

Local elections are scheduled for October. The council has not proposed appointing candidates to seats.

A demonstrator who gave her name as Sharyn said she had lived in Rotorua for 70 years and had always seen a "fair representation of people" on the council.

"They want to have extra seats for Māori."

Academic Ngahuia Te Awekotuku MNZM (Te Arawa, Tūhoe, Waikato) observed the demonstration from nearby.

She said, in her opinion, it was driven by "ignorance and fear".

Pictured Right: Waiariki MP and Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi
Waiariki MP and Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi said "We all know democracy is the tyranny of the majority, which fundamentally excludes the voices of indigenous peoples all over the world and in our case tangata whenua.

"We are seeing the rise of tangata tiriti and I am here for it."