If the regional council agrees to establish a Māori constituency after hearing public feedback, a representation review would begin to address constituency boundaries, and the number of eligible voters. The addition of a Māori constituency would not necessarily replace an existing ward boundary, and the number of councillors could increase by one to 12, eliminating any fears of a sitting councillor becoming a “sacrificial lamb”, chairman David MacLeod said. MacLeod said the point of the discussion was whether the council should create a constituency without consulting the public, or iwi. Discussion with the region’s eight iwi showed support for Māori representation on the regional council, he said.