Poll result goes against establishment of Māori wards
Total voting documents returned
Saturday, 19 May 2018. 1.45pm
Preliminary results of the Māori ward poll are now in.
These show:
- 40.38% of eligible electors voted
Of these:
- 21.62% were for Māori wards
- 78.09% were against Māori wards.
Saturday, 19 May 2018. 1.13pm
Progress results of a binding poll show Western Bay electors have voted against Māori wards.
In November 2017, the majority of councillors (9 for, 3 against) voted to establish one or more Māori wards as part of a six yearly representation review that legally requires Council to consider Māori representation.
Consequently, a valid independent petition from over 5% of Western Bay District electors who opposed the move was handed to Council in February 2018, requiring a poll.
As a result, a poll, which involved voting papers being sent to all eligible electors on both the General and Māori Parliamentary Electoral Rolls, opened on Friday 27 April and closed at midday today, Saturday 19 May.
Progress results (approximately 98 percent of votes counted) show electors do not want Māori wards in the Western Bay. Voter turnout was around 40% of eligible electors.
- 21.5% of electors who voted were for Māori wards
- 78.2% of electors who voted were against Māori wards.
Mayor Garry Webber says he accepts the result.
"In announcing its decision in November last year Council acknowledged that not everyone would agree. We were also clear that due process, which included the call for a poll, would be followed and the result of that process respected.
"Today's result, which is binding for the 2019 and 2022 elections, is clear so it's time for Council to move on with the rest of the representation review."
Final results will be available on Monday 21 May, once all valid special votes have been counted. The official public notice of final results will be appear in papers on Wednesday 23 May.
The next phase of the representation review focuses on whether current representation arrangements (Mayor, 11 Councillors, three wards, five community boards and 20 community board members), provides for fair and effective representation, or if changes can be made to improve the District's representation.
Council is considering feedback and will go back to the community with an initial proposal for future representation arrangements in the second half of 2018.