Fiona Kahukura Hadley-Chase.
A Ruapehu District Council debate on whether or not to keep Māori wards was a distraction from more pressing matters.
That’s the view of councillor Fiona Kahukura Hadley-Chase, who says many people in towns with high Māori populations are facing a crisis of economic deprivation.
“There is a financial crisis all over the country, but it is particularly bad in places like Taumarunui, Raetihi and Te Kūiti where the proportion of Māori is at the highest,” Kahukura Hadley-Chase said.
“In Ruapehu the deprivation Index score is set at 10, and you can’t get any worse than that.”
The index was compiled by the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE), measuring factors such as household incomes, employment rates, rent affordability and tertiary education.
“My view is that of course we should keep Māori wards; active representation from the group in the community who are most in need can only be a good thing. It dismays me we’re now being forced to dig up the issue and go over all the arguments. It’s such a waste of time, the council and ratepayer resources and people’s energy.”
The only way for communities to go forward was to look at things that impact the local economy and its people, she said.
“We must respond effectively to the needs here, but first we must foster inclusivity and embrace diversity. There are people here of various economic scales, colours, cultures and beliefs. We’ll only move forward if everyone gets on the same waka.”
Māori had made huge contributions to society and the council would need Māori wards at the table to be able to move with them, she argued.
She said Ruapehu was in “pretty poor shape”, having worn out infrastructure and water assets, ski-field closures threatened, rising power prices and the Chateau dormant.
The priority had been ‘what can we do and how can we make money’ but she believed the question should be, ‘what can we do to make this sustainable, so that what we do now won’t become a headache for our mokopuna?’
