Māori Wards

One question that I’m getting asked is whether I support Māori Wards and why I don’t mention the referendum on them on my flyers. Well, it’s really simple - I passionately believe that Māori Wards are the best way to enable Manu Whenua to have a genuine and meaningful voice in our democracy.

We’ve had Māori electorates for MPs for over 160 years and it is a clear demonstration of how the Treaty of Waitangi / Te Tiriti is applied for the benefit of everyone in Aotearoa / New Zealand.

On my election material I’ve focused only on policies that I can personally affect. The Māori Wards referendum is a free vote for everyone - and nothing that councillors can affect.

I am however encouraging everyone to vote to keep our Māori Ward - in the same way that we are ‘keeping’ the Paekākāriki and Raumati Ward. I’m not Māori, I don’t speak Te Reo but I absolutey believe that our community is stronger together when we embrace our different heritages and the parallel and shared paths that we call history.

I’ll go even further and say that

Deanna Rudd will - IMHO - be a superb councillor - for the Māori Ward and also for the whole district, and Ann-Maree Ellison has a love for Raumati that makes her a perfect choice for the Raumati Community Board. Ann-Maree and I also share the same address - and three cats - full disclosure!….

So to end - no rousing Te Reo words- that would not be appropriate for a British Kiwi who sometimes struggles to find the appropriate word in English - just a heart felt plea to embrace the fact that Māori Wards are a step forwards and that there is nothing to be scared of.

Ngā mihi / Thank you

Richard Young.