The Local Government Minister's defending controversial changes to the rules around councils' Māori wards. 

The third reading of the bill has passed, which forces councils to have a binding referendum on Māori wards at next year's elections.  

Local Government New Zealand is against the changes, calling it an overreach. 

But Simeon Brown told Mike Hosking he disagrees, and it's about letting local communities have their say. 

He says Local Government NZ has gone woke and is simply trying to push the last government's left-wing policies 

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