Auckland Council has been told it's not giving any priority to meeting Maori needs through its planned spending over the next decade.
Councillors on the Strategy and Finance Committee on Wednesday failed to agreed to the Independent Maori Statutory Board's call for a budget of $295 million.
It wants council money to go towards improving the lives of Maori - ensuring there's spending on things such as marae development, housing on ancestral land, and the protection of scared sites.
Board member John Tamihere said that if the council had put as much energy into Maori as its contentious dog registration fee plan, then Maori would be getting somewhere.
Board chairman David Taipari says there'll be another chance to push for the funding in a month's time.
