December 19, 2014
Mayor Carter not good enough for Maori
Labour MP Peeni Henare says the Far North District Council’s proposals for Maori representation aren’t good enough.
The council has all but rejected the idea of dedicated Maori seats, and instead is considering setting up a Maori standing committee.
Mr Henare, who lived in Moerewa before winning the Tamaki Makaurau seat in September’s election, says Mayor John Carter and his council are failing Maori in the north.
"Our people are just so disillusioned with him. The systems are wrong in the council, things like rates on urupa, rates on marae, it's absolutely crazy and I challenged Mr Carter a while ago about that representation and I'm disappointed he hasn't taken it far enough," he says.
Mr Henare says dissatisfaction with the council shows up in low levels of voter engagement.
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