Upper Hutt Council should let the people decide on Māori Ward

ACT Candidate for Remutaka and regional councillor Nigel Elder is calling for a local referendum on Upper Hutt Council’s proposed Māori ward.

“Local issues of rates, roads, and rubbish affect everybody. We can meet these challenges together, without dividing communities into separate groups based on ancestry,” says Mr Elder.

“The last Labour Government didn’t trust voters so they rushed through a law change to abolish local referendums on Māori wards. It was a deliberate attempt to override the will of local communities and impose race-based representation and ACT has successfully changed it back.

“That means the power remains with the people. If 1,698 Upper Hutt locals decide this should go to a vote, the council will need to hold a referendum.

“When I’m out doorknocking I will be collecting signatures to ensure Upper Hutt locals get a proper say on the formation of our council. That is the democratic way to decide.

“ACT says your political rights should not be determined by your ancestry. Your vote should count the same as anyone else’s, no seat should be reserved for any particular group, and every councillor should be accountable to the full cross-section of their local community.

“Repealing Māori wards does not mean an end to Māori representation. Every voter, Māori or otherwise, will have an equal vote, and Māori candidates have proven more than capable of getting elected under these conditions.

“We’ll only move forward as a country when we stop obsessing over the race of the person solving the problem – and instead focus on solving the problem itself.”