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 Discussion at the Diversity Forum 2010 Ngä körero i te Hui Kanorau o Aotearoa 2010 The Human Rights Commission hosted a session at the annual New Zealand Diversity Forum on Mäori representation in local government, on 23 August 2010, in Christchurch. The session drew on an earlier version of this paper, which had been released for public discussion before the forum, and also presented the findings of the survey of local authorities presented in section 6. Presentations on the discussion paper and survey were followed by reflections from Environment Bay of Plenty Councillor Raewyn Bennett, Wairoa District Councillor Benita Cairns, and Waiariki MP Te Ururoa Flavell. Councillor Raewyn Bennett, Environment Bay of Plenty Councillor Raewyn Bennett from Environment Bay of Plenty (EBOP) spoke about her experiences in local government and the reasons why Mäori seats are so controversial. She said three reasons were usually given for not having Mäori seats: that such seats would be "race-based", confer "special privilege", and/ or be "undemocratic". These attitudes on the part of local authorities played a role in why Mäori don’t vote in local elections: they have no belief in the system as it stands. The decision made by the Government not to have dedicated Mäori seats on the Auckland Council, despite the recommendations of the Royal Commission (which in turn drew on submissions for mana whenua and taura here groups), worked to confirm their lack of belief. Councillor Bennett also pointed out there was a debate that needed to happen around the roles for iwi and the roles for Mäori more generally. She noted that iwi are mana whenua and have Treaty of Waitangi rights to resources and, therefore, involvement in resource management. She also noted, however, that Mäori well-being was a significant factor, paying tribute to the work of such pan-tribal groups as the Mäori Women’s Welfare League. She noted that under the Local Government Act 2002 "well-being" outcomes – economic, social, and cultural – were sought for communities, based on UN human development models. Turning to her own experience in the Bay of Plenty, Councillor Bennett commented that iwi there accepted their representatives on council may not be from their own iwi. She noted EBOP councillors made a difference particularly in respect to cultural change within the organisation, for example, through the use of inclusive processes. She also talked about the role of Mäori advisory committees within councils and said that it can be hard to shift people from the "advisory committee" model and point of view to the "dedicated seats" point of view. Councillor Benita Cairns, Wairoa District Council Benita Cairns is a Wairoa District Councillor and a member of the Mäori Committee of Local Government New Zealand. She began by pointing out that even in Wairoa, where over 60 per cent of the population is Mäori, Mäori are not well represented on council. She said that of the 97 elected council representatives in the recent past, fewer than 10 had been of Mäori descent. Ms Cairns said Wairoa District Council was currently reviewing its Mäori committee and its Mäori policy. The Mäori committee was the mechanism within the organisation that could support dedicated Mäori representatives. She emphasised that even where Mäori seats were established, non-electoral Mäori mechanisms must be retained. In Wairoa, the Mäori committee made great recommendations but they were not getting to the governance table. She felt "segregation" was occurring in 35