1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:02,920 Speaker 1: Heather do for see Allen. Most of the country's Maori 2 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:05,680 Speaker 1: wards are set to be scrapped after local referenda were 3 00:00:05,720 --> 00:00:08,000 Speaker 1: held over the weekend. Seventeen of them are going to 4 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:09,840 Speaker 1: remain in place. One of the districts that voted to 5 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:12,560 Speaker 1: actually retain their Maori seat was Fakatani District Council and 6 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:15,640 Speaker 1: Tony Boynton. It's one of the Maori ward councilors, is there, Hi, Tony? 7 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 2: Oh cure to Heather, mahit to you. Mahit to you 8 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:21,720 Speaker 2: as a working mama as well as a toddler. So 9 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:22,760 Speaker 2: thank you for having me. 10 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:25,600 Speaker 1: Thanks Tony, I appreciate that today, actually very much. I'll 11 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:28,080 Speaker 1: tell you why later on. Do you see this, by 12 00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:30,360 Speaker 1: the way, as a good result? Are seventeen of them 13 00:00:30,400 --> 00:00:32,440 Speaker 1: staying well? 14 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:34,440 Speaker 2: I think first of all we have to say that 15 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:39,599 Speaker 2: having the referendums in the first place isn't a good thing. 16 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:42,440 Speaker 2: I mean, first off, the reason why it was removed 17 00:00:42,479 --> 00:00:47,120 Speaker 2: in twenty twenty one is because it was discriminatory against Marty. 18 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:53,000 Speaker 2: But overall, there were four hundred thousand votes nationally in 19 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:56,840 Speaker 2: favor of Mardi wards compared to two hundred and sixty 20 00:00:56,920 --> 00:01:03,080 Speaker 2: thousand that were against so there is a big shift nationally. However, 21 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:06,759 Speaker 2: we have to deal with the tyranny of the majority 22 00:01:06,959 --> 00:01:08,840 Speaker 2: when it's divided down into the district. 23 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:11,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, but the tyranny of the majority is just democracy, 24 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:13,640 Speaker 1: isn't it. We all we all feel it from time 25 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:15,160 Speaker 1: to time. The minority. 26 00:01:15,319 --> 00:01:17,240 Speaker 2: Well, the thing is is that we know that that 27 00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:20,480 Speaker 2: means that the majority gets to decide what happens to 28 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:21,160 Speaker 2: the minority. 29 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:22,959 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's democracy. 30 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:26,000 Speaker 2: Well, that's. 31 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:29,440 Speaker 1: The vote anyway, you won the vote. 32 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:33,800 Speaker 2: Yet democracy in terms of the of the councils themselves 33 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:36,560 Speaker 2: being able to decide that, and that was quite emphatic. 34 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:39,760 Speaker 2: The councils themselves made that decision, and that decision was 35 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:43,360 Speaker 2: taken off them. I mean, if they're elected by their constituents, 36 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:46,120 Speaker 2: that's democracy, right, and they're elected to be able to 37 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:48,880 Speaker 2: make those decisions, and that decision was taken away from them. 38 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:51,200 Speaker 1: Tony, is am I right in thinking that every six 39 00:01:51,320 --> 00:01:55,160 Speaker 1: years councils review what they're which wards they've gotten, whether 40 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:57,440 Speaker 1: they need to add or remove wards. Is that right? 41 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:01,600 Speaker 2: Yes, that's correct. And so you have situations where you 42 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:05,760 Speaker 2: have rural wards and you might have other urban wars 43 00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 2: that might be established. Now none of those Wards, ever, 44 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:13,720 Speaker 2: will face a referendum only Mardi Wards. And that's where 45 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:16,440 Speaker 2: you can say, oh, democracy plays a part in having 46 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:20,000 Speaker 2: a referendum, But however, it's not fear that no other 47 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:22,280 Speaker 2: ward gets to face that, only Mrighty Wards. 48 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:24,320 Speaker 1: But what I mean is in about six years it 49 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:26,640 Speaker 1: is entirely possible that this could be reviewed and Marti 50 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:28,519 Speaker 1: Wards could make a comeback in some of these council 51 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:31,320 Speaker 1: these council bodies right. 52 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:35,560 Speaker 2: Well, definitely, But I mean there's a whole process that 53 00:02:35,639 --> 00:02:39,680 Speaker 2: has happened within those districts and what we have seen 54 00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:43,280 Speaker 2: is that those who won their Marti Wards referendum were 55 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:47,800 Speaker 2: quite emphatic in the amount of difference of numbers that 56 00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:51,880 Speaker 2: they won it by. But also those who those districts 57 00:02:51,919 --> 00:02:55,919 Speaker 2: who voted against the margins were quite small. And what 58 00:02:55,960 --> 00:02:58,639 Speaker 2: that means is that people from the ground, with very 59 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:02,680 Speaker 2: little resource have done a lot of work to be 60 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:04,799 Speaker 2: able to shift a whole community. 61 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:08,959 Speaker 1: For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive. Listen live to 62 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:12,120 Speaker 1: news talks that'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow 63 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:13,920 Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio.