The Kaipara District Council stands alone as the only council to disestablish its Maori ward. By doing so, it has avoided the need for the referendum that is about to be held by 42 other councils that introduced Maori wards without obtaining a mandate from the public before doing so.
I spoke with Kaipara District Council Mayor, Craig Jepson, about his experience with their Maori ward and why his council thought disestablishment was the appropriate path to take.
He said that’s an easy question to answer.
“It has also cost ratepayers a lot of money because the council has had to respond to frivolous Code of Conduct complaints and legal challenges to our decisions, asserting we have breached our Treaty obligations. The simple fact is the Kaipara District Council is not the Crown and does not have duties as a signatory to the Treaty of Waitangi. Our council meets its obligations to Maori as required by the Local Government Act. We facilitate participation by Maori in local decision-making processes, but while doing so, we ensure our decision-making entails equal rights for all communities and people of the district.
“The irony of a Maori ward being introduced in the Kaipara district is Maori had more and better representation in the 2019-22 council when 2 of the 9 councillors identified as Maori. That was achieved without a Maori ward. The current council has only one Maori member, being the Maori ward councillor. I am not surprised by that. People might well ask why they should support a Maori candidate in a general ward?”
That’s a good question to ask. Why should voters registered on the general roll vote for Maori candidates standing in the general seat, when Maori have seats “reserved” especially for them?
When asked why other councils had not taken the same approach, he said it was because many mayors did not have the will to swim against the tide or did not have the numbers around the council table to do so.
“It’s not an easy path to go down. I campaigned on removing racial division and won by a sizable majority, so I had a mandate to take the position I did, but I still came in for a lot of criticism at the start of my term when I refused to open our council meetings with a Karakia. The criticism was from Maori activists with a sovereignty agenda and stirred along by some within the media who are surrogate activists claiming to be impartial.
“I took the view that we would be a secular council, so I did not see it as appropriate to have to start each meeting with a faith-based appeal for divine assistance. We came to a solution that councillors could, in turn, make a personal appeal for spiritual guidance to whatever God or culture they like prior to the opening of the meeting. That inclusive approach didn’t satisfy the radicals who demanded my resignation.”
At the time Kaipara voted to disestablish their Maori ward, Mayor Jepson said this:
“I will not attempt to tell other councils what they should do as each has its own unique circumstances, but I believe the Maori ward here in the Kaipara has not justified its establishment and is divisive.
“I have never believed in dividing people by their differences and forming voting blocks based on race. It is condescending to Maori that somehow they are not good enough to be elected on their own merits in a general ward. All members of our community should have an opportunity to stand on equal footing. If you are the best candidate, no matter who your ancestors are, you will be elected.
“The best example is Mayor Moko Tepania in the Far North, who got elected on his own merits, as have many others in local and central government. The notion that the electorate is racially biased is nonsense.
“It is tragic that some in our community are advancing an agenda that divides our nation and turns a blind eye to the wisdom of great minds and visionary leaders like Dr Martin Luther King, who said: ‘I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character’.”
When reflecting on his three years a Mayor, Craig Jepson said the travesty is that their Maori ward councillor contributed nothing constructive to the council.
“Her presence was counterproductive. Many very good Maori people can be elected on their own merits and would achieve good things for the Maori community by working collaboratively. Here’s the reality: Maori don’t even support the Maori wards. For a start, half of Maori choose to be on the General Roll – they want to be part of the whole community. And of those who are on the Maori roll, only a quarter vote in local body elections. That means, only 1 in 8 Maori vote in Maori ward elections!
“The establishment and need of Maori wards rely on a false narrative. That narrative preaches that Maori have no voice, are unfairly disadvantaged, are oppressed, and suffer the continual effects of colonisation, systemic racism and victimhood. This narrative is false, and most Kiwis, including most Maori, know it is false.
“That is why very few vote in the Maori ward or for Te Pati Maori. I maintain that most Maori in my district do not see themselves as oppressed. They want what we all want. They do not want a society divided by race.”
Craig Jepson will not be seeking a second term as Mayor.
That will come as a disappointment to many. His popularity cannot be disputed. A Curia Research poll ranked him as the second most popular Mayor in the country. He is, however, standing as a councillor in the Kaiwaka-Magawhai ward where he lives:
“Over the last three years, a majority of councillors have worked hard to get things back on track. We now have a solid base to build on, and I am confident that Kaipara is poised for good times ahead. With the right leadership, it can become an outstanding place to work and live.”
Craig Jepson will be hoping the electorate reflects on that when they select his replacement. The mayoralty contest looks like a two-horse race between the incumbent Deputy Mayor Jonathan Larsen and Jason Smith, the former Mayor that Craig Jepson replaced.
The electorate will need to decide whether they want to vote for the future or the past.