Ngā Turu Māori: Māori
The Bay of Plenty Region Council established three Maori
constituencies (seats) under the
Bay of Plenty Regional Council (Māori Constituency Empowering) Act
2001. This 2001 Act was bought
about after extensive public consultation led by
Retired Chief Family Court Judge Peter Trapski
establishing the Mauāo, Ōkurei and Kōhi constituencies.
See the Bay of
Plenty Region's Māori constituencies (695KB, pdf).
In 1996 Māori requested direct representation on the Regional
Council. The Bay of Plenty Regional Council's Māori Regional
Representation Committee prepared a submission for the Council,
which proposed the introduction of Māori (constituency) seats. This
could only succeed if a local Bill was passed. The Bay of Plenty
community was consulted and the proposal received strong support,
with some opposition.
Trapski Māori Representation Report (820 KB, PDF)
considered more than 300 submissions, of which a significant
majority were in support. He concluded that there was
significant support similar to the Māori seats in the
Parliament of New Zealand, and based upon this support there
was an equally good basis to establish Māori seats on the
Bay of Plenty Regional Council. He also recommended that Bay of
Plenty Regional Council's proposal was in accordance with the New
Zealand constitutional principles of law.
The Bill was drafted in early 1999 and passed in October 2001.
It provided for the establishment of three Māori seats on the
Regional Council, one elected from each of the three Bay of Plenty
wards: Mauāo (the west of the Bay of Plenty), Kōhi (the east of the
Bay of Plenty) and Ōkurei (the central/south of the Bay of Plenty).
This bill allows people on the Māori roll to vote for their own
Our Māori Councillors
Visit our Councillors' page for further information
about all Bay of Plenty Regional Council councillors, including
the current elected Māori representatives.