Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
A protest was held in May in the city against the council s decision.
The local Taiwhenua said current laws were in breach of the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and the Crown s Treaty obligations to ensure Māori had adequate and proportionate representation at a local government level.
The five claimants are from the local iwi authority Te Taiwhenua o te Whanganui ā Orotū - Tamati Cairns, Shayne Walker, Tania Eden, Matthew Mullany, Alayna Hokianga and Hori Reti. To date, Māori representation and participation in local government has continued to languish well below the proportion of Māori in the population, the claim read.
Protesters fire up over Napier council s decision about Maori wards
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Protest over Napier City Council s decision about Maori wards
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The proposed consultation with mana whenua and the Napier community was planned during the coming months, allowing councillors to make a decision on Māori ward(s) by November 2021. But it would miss the government deadline of May 21 this year, as outlined in an amendment to The Local Electoral Act 2001, which came into effect on March 2 after a two-day consultation period with local government. “Unfortunately the two and a half month timeframe set by central Government has not provided sufficient time for council to undertake wide-spread consultation on this matter,” Napier mayor Kirsten Wise said.
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Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise said council understood the concerns mana whenua were raising with having to wait for 2025 for the implementation of Māori ward(s). (File pic)