Napier Deputy Mayor Sally Crown has hit out at Mayor Richard McGrath’s failed proposal to not include mana whenua voices and voting rights in the council’s standing committees for the term, describing it as “gross misjudgment and disrespect”.

About 100 people filled the public gallery of a Napier City Council meeting on Thursday, including former Mayor Kirsten Wise, after word got around of the possibility of a change to Māori representation on council committees.

It led to tense scenes, with some heckling McGrath as he made attempts to defend his proposal, in just his fourth full council meeting as mayor.

Standing committees are permanent committees established by local authorities to handle specific areas of council business throughout the elected term.

Last triennium, there were two Nga Mānukanuka o te iwi representatives – representing a mana whenua voice – on each of the four standing committees.

This year, there would be two standing committees – the corporate and performance committee and the delivery and regulatory performance committee.

McGrath said he had not removed anyone and was establishing new committees.

“The reason for my decision is to have elected members, who have attended meetings and workshops, making decisions,” McGrath said.

When asked why he hadn’t considered the risk to relations under the Treaty of Waitangi, McGrath said, “can’t think of one”.

Crown told the meeting the mayor’s proposal had blindsided councillors.

“The proposal was a demonstration of gross misjudgment and disrespect,” Crown said.

“Not just of our mana whenu partners but also of our elected members.

“A key part of leadership is to bring people along with you, and I have heard from elected members that they have been blindsided by the proposal that was presented.”

She said there was no heads-up or discussion with councillors, and it was arguably taking advantage of the fact that close to half of the team were new.

“Changing the order of the agenda, when we know there was significant interest in the item, feeds into the perception of looking at reducing the ability of our public to engage on this.”

Māori ward councillor Shyann Raihania asked the mayor what consultation had taken place with mana whenua before the proposal was changed, and asked him to outline the step-by-step process that led to the decision to amend it.

McGrath again said it hadn’t been amended; it was a new structure.

He said he had spoken to a few people and then, “as the mayor, he had put it together and put it around the table here”.

Raihania asked for an amendment to the proposal, including retaining Ngā Mānukanuka o te Iwi appointments on all standing committees as specialist voting members with full speaking rights.

She also requested the mayor engage with Ngā Mānukanuka o te Iwi members as mandated mana whenua representatives and return with a revised terms of reference, including options and legal advice.

The amended proposal was put to the vote with six votes for and four against.

Applause and cheers from the public gallery followed the vote.

The Vote

For: Whare Isaac-Sharland, Sally Crown, Keith Price, Ronda Chrystal, Shyann Raihania and Graeme Taylor.

Against: Craig Morley, Nigel Simpson, Richard McGrath and Roger Brownlie.

Abstained: Te Kira Lawrence and Greg Mawson.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.