Merepeka Raukawa-Tait said Māori Wards were still absolutely necessary. File picture. Photo: Supplied
An outgoing Rotorua councillor is defending Māori wards in councils, saying it is necessary to have tangata whenua at the decision-making table to ensure their people's rights are honoured.
It follows Rotorua's newly elected mayor Tania Tapsell saying the introduction of Māori wards in the city was a rushed decision that had backfired for two Māori councillors.
Tapsell said under the Māori wards Rotorua had gone from four Māori councillors down to three, two other Māori councillors had also lost their seats on the general roll because those who were enrolled on the Māori roll were unable to vote for them.
"We've got a few issues where you had these aspirational rushed through decisions, like Māori wards or co-governance that didn't properly take the time to consult with the community, share the information on what the consequences of that would be," Tapsell said.
One of those councillors who missed out was Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, who served on the Rotorua Lakes Council for 11 years.
But despite being on the general ward, Raukawa-Tait said Māori Wards were still absolutely necessary.
"It would have been very much back to what we used to have which was really a Pākehā council and nothing wrong with that but that fact is, that we've got significant Treaty settlements that have been settled in Rotorua, we want to use those settlements for the well-being of all our community. But we're not going to do that if we're not at the table," Raukawa-Tait said.
"There have been springs that are used for the water supply for the city that have been now returned to iwi, you cannot use tribal resources and just say 'Oh yes, we're gonna make the decisions on how these are used when you're not going to be at the table'."
At the time the council saw it as an opportunity to to boost the number of Māori in the general ward too which did not happen, she said.
"But we do have now, as of right and elected by the Māori community, three Māori who will take their place at the table so that is good. We also have a Māori mayor, so that's good for Rotorua. Then we've got a Maori unit on management in council.
"So the things that used to get neglected in the past, when there are no Māori at the table, the issues that concern Māori even their own aspirations, they're never given the same way to considerations as everything else so that's why it was very necessary to have Māori and Te Arawa."
Special votes were still being counted but based on the official preliminary results from Saturday, Raukawa-Tait had just missed out on a seat by more than 350 votes.
She also wanted the new council to understand and properly know the community.
"It's not just good enough to say, I know all the uptown folks, you've got to know who's not in the room, whose voice do you not hear because they are an important part of our community as well. And I would say that they're the biggest numbers that did not vote. When you don't see yourself reflected in the top table, then you don't vote," Raukawa-Tait said.
The second Māori councillor who was not re-elected back in on the general roll was Mercia-Dawn Yates.
Yates took to social media and said she had no regrets being on the general roll and stood with her integrity intact.
"Some have voiced blame that the Māori Wards split votes, but I believe it is more evident than ever before that we need a Māori Ward. It is essential that we keep in place a way to ensure we have a Māori voice at the Council table," Yates said.
She said there was a campaign put in place to strategically vote her out of council.
"I was highly aware of a block vote to vote me out, and that they could be successful. I felt that the hate towards me that they promoted was real, and I would even go as far as saying it felt like it was a racially prejudiced vote against me, fuelled by misinformation."
At this stage she did not plan to run for council again.
She told RNZ it was important to have a representatives focused on the interests of Māori.
"Nothing is guaranteed even in communities that have historically had Māori representation. Māori Wards are about guaranteeing our Māori Mana Motuhake."
