M ÄO R I R E P R E S E N TAT I O N I N L O CAL GO VE R N M E N T 27 Survey of local authorities Te tiro whänui o ngä Taiwhenua and give a priority to each issue, to guide the board in carrying out its purpose · keep the schedule up to date · advise the Auckland Council on matters affecting mana whenua and Mäori of Tamaki Makaurau · work with the Auckland Council on the design and execution of documents and processes to implement the council's statutory responsibilities towards mana whenua and Mäori of Tamaki Makaurau. The board also has a specific function in section 85 to appoint a maximum of two persons to sit on each of the Auckland Council's committees that deal with the management and stewardship of natural and physical resources. The bill also sets out the Auckland Council’s duties to the board at section 88, stating the council must: · provide the board with the information that the board needs to identify business of the council that relates to the board's purpose · consult the board on matters affecting mana whenua and Mäori of Tamaki Makaurau · take into account the board's advice on ensuring that the input of mana whenua and Mäori of Tamaki Makaurau is reflected in the council's strategies, policies and plans · take into account the board's advice on other matters · make an agreement every year to provide the board with the funding it needs to carry out its purpose · work with the board on the design and execution of documents and processes that relate to seeking the input of mana whenua and Mäori of Tamaki Makaurau. On 12 July 2010, the Human Rights Commission sent a request to 83 territorial and regional authorities asking if they had ever considered Mäori representation as set out in the section 19Z of the Local Electoral Act (LEA) 2001 and, if so, when. The Bay of Plenty Regional Council / Environment Bay of Plenty, with whom the Race Relations Commissioner met separately, was the only local authority not sent an information request. By 20 August 2010, the Commission had received substantive replies from 74 of the 83 local authorities, a response rate of 89.16 per cent. Sixty four of the 72 territorial authorities responded (88.89 per cent) and 10 of the 11 regional authorities responded (90.91 per cent). The survey analysis in this section is based primarily on the information provided by the local authorities themselves (except where explicitly noted). Some local authorities produced extensive documentation to support their response. Others made brief responses to the two questions posed. The breakdown of when and how local authorities considered establishing Mäori wards or constituencies is therefore dependent on the content of responses and may not reflect the full picture of a particular council’s deliberations. Where responses have been coded for analysis of when and how they considered the issue, some local authorities explored a number of different options and have therefore been coded to more than one response. As a result, the numbers and percentages for this particular part of the analysis will not reflect the total number of responses, nor add up to 100 per cent.