READ MORE:* Top of the south iwi back Māori Ward proposal* Māori 'kicked in the guts' over failed Māori ward bid in Manawatū* Ōtorohanga District Council votes for Māori wardWARWICK SMITH/Stuff All 12 Manawatū marae are united in a protest planned for May 11. He asked those against Māori wards to step back “from the politics of the day" and think of the future of Manawatū. In 2017 the council voted in favour of establishing a Māori ward but the decision was trumped by a 2018 citizens-initiated poll. This was part of a national movement against Māori wards led by lobby group Hobsons Pledge. Earlier this year, the rule that citizens-initiated polls could trump council decisions was revoked, as it only applied to Māori wards.

Source: Stuff May 10, 2021 00:49 UTC