An Auckland councillor has slammed the idea of establishing separate Māori ward seats for the city. 

Maurice Williamson was one of eleven votes against the introduction of the seats, an idea that has almost split the council down the middle on whether it's the right move with nine voting in favour. 

Talking to The Mike Hosking Breakfast on Friday, Williamson agreed with the sentiment he was virtually giving the city what it wanted given the results of the council's consultation with the Auckland public. 

"[We] got a very clear steer...I think it was about sixty-eight per cent or something said no," said Williamson. 

As the Howick ward councillor pointed out, Auckland's point of difference from other councils was that Auckland had Independent Māori Statutory Boards (IMSB) which were set up in legislation when the council was formed. 

The members aren't voted for, not even by Māori, but are appointed by Māori authorities and will sit on committees with the right to vote. 

"I've got two of them on my expenditure control committee," said Williamson. 

"They have as much power as a councillor. So I think everyone, when they saw that, thought hang on - you can have that and Māori seats? I think there's a strong view I got from people they can live with one or the other, but not both."

When asked why Auckland was in a mess over how to give Māori proper representation at the local Government level, Williamson said he couldn't quite understand it. 

He said what still confuses him is what constitutes a person of Māori ethnicity. 

"You can have any level of Māori blood in you, be ninety-nine per cent European but then you qualify for a lot of things that a whole lot of us don't," he said. 

"The Labour Government just changed the law about enrollment, it means you can enrol for the Māori roll for the local body election and then switch back to the general roll for the general election, then switch back again and again."

Williamson said it makes "a lot of nonsense" out of the voting systems. 

"We've got universal suffrage, everyone can vote, lots of Māori are on councils of their own right as are Auckland council, I don't understand why in the modern age we need it."

Whau Ward Councillor Kerrin Leoni —who voted for the seats— says the result is disheartening.

She said it's a lost opportunity to allow some great Māori to contribute to the future of the city.