29 Sep 2017

Auckland Council backs Māori seat, but with govt stamp

From Morning Report, 8:14 am on 29 September 2017

A dedicated Māori seat on the country's biggest local body is a step closer, but still rests in the hands of the next government. In principle.

Auckland councillors have backed the move to create a dedicated seat, but they insist a law change is needed first to allow an overall increase in the number of seats.

However a senior Māori figure says seats alone are not enough, and one certainly won't do the job.