New Māori ward approved as Napier reshapes its council structure

Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise and her fellow councillors have voted in favour of the changes. Photo / Paul Taylor
Napier City Council has decided its shape for the next local body election, with the introduction of two new Māori ward councillors and a reduction of one councillor overall.
The council met on Tuesday to iron out details and make a final decision on its representation review.
It follows on from a commitment made last week to push ahead with a Māori ward.
The council is currently made up of 13 councillors (including the mayor) but that will now be reduced to 12 councillors (including the mayor) at the next election in 2025.
Other key changes include the introduction of a Māori ward which will feature two councillors and be named Te Whanga Māori Ward (and cover all of Napier).
It will also move from four wards to three general wards at the next election, which will see three councillors appointed for Ahuriri Ward, three for Taradale Ward, and three for a new Napier Central Ward.
The existing Nelson Park Ward and Onekawa-Tamatea Ward will be scrapped and absorbed into those three general wards.
Cr Maxine Boag criticised the naming of one of those wards during Tuesday’s meeting.
“I’m concerned about the ward name Ahuriri, because it stretches from Awatoto right through to Bayview basically,” she said.
“Ahuriri is not only the name of a suburb, so that will cause some confusion, but it is also the Māori name for Napier.
“Ahuriri has got so many different meanings and I’m quite concerned … that there will be confusion.”
The Napier Youth Council also provided feedback that the name was inappropriate.
A council staffer said the Ahuriri ward was an existing ward and was essentially being expanded.
“As such, we feel it is the most fitting to be called Ahuriri. There were some other [names] considered but they were discounted,” the council staffer said.
The council approved the new council structure on Tuesday but a final decision will be made by the Local Government Commission by April 2025, taking into consideration any objections.
A council decision back in 2021 was reaffirmed last week to adopt a new Māori ward which led to the council shake-up (known as a representation review).
All councillors voted in support of the new structure except Cr Richard McGrath, who abstained from voting.
“I’m going to abstain due to the inter-relatedness of last week’s meeting and today,” he said.
“I wasn’t here last week, so I don’t believe I have the full information to make the decision.”
McGrath cited “safety concerns” and watching his son play basketball when he missed a council meeting last Thursday and passed on his apology.
The council reaffirmed its commitment to a new Maori ward at that meeting, during which time the council rejected McGrath’s apology and Deputy Mayor Annette Brosnan stated she also rejected the notion the meeting was unsafe.
That meeting was held in the regional council chambers where patched gang members attended a similar meeting days earlier.
McGrath questioned why his apology was not accepted.
“I have attended every single council meeting and every council committee meeting for 10 years straight,” he said last week.
“[You] miss one due to safety or putting family first and the apology isn’t accepted – really?”
You must be on the Māori electoral roll to vote for a Māori ward candidate, and NCC has never had a Māori ward before.
“Introduction of the Te Whanga Māori ward will improve the effective representation of Māori interests within Napier city, and in particular, those on the Māori electoral roll,” council papers read.
Due to a law change in July, NCC must hold a binding referendum at the next local body election in 2025 and ask residents whether they want to keep the new Māori ward, with the outcome being a binding decision for the next election (2028) onwards.
Hastings, Central Hawke’s Bay, and Hawke’s Bay Regional councils must also hold binding referenda regarding their Māori wards.
A decision has also been made not to create any community boards for NCC, such as for Maraenui.
Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.