20 May 2021

We appreciate that the views of Wairarapa iwi are that our Māori partners be represented via the establishment of a Māori ward.

The Mayor personally strongly supports the concept of Māori wards, and has in recent communication conveyed this to the Rangitāne Chair.

Council undertook a representation review in 2018 and endorsed the status quo recommendations from its community boards and Māori Standing Committee, noting that more research needed to be undertaken prior to a decision. In 2020, Council was still of that same view.

Although legislation now makes the establishment of Māori wards easier, significant groundwork is still required before a fully informed report can be presented to Council. Full and complete engagement needs to be undertaken with iwi and across the whole community. This all takes time, and we will be looking at doing this as soon as we can.