With all eyes on Waitangi this week as the nation marks the national day, in Tauranga, another important decision needs to be made regarding who will become the city’s next Māori ward councillor.

Nominations opened on Monday for the Te Awanui Ward byelection to fill the seat vacated by Mikaere Sydney, who resigned on Friday.

He was elected to Tauranga City Council on July 20 last year but was unable to take up his position due to illness and was approved for unpaid medical leave until December 31.

Local Democracy Reporting asked previous candidates if they planned to run again.

Runner-up Suaree Borell said she is standing because “wāhine Māori standing in local elections is really important”.

Speaking from Waitangi on Tuesday, Borrell said she stood in council elections to raise civic awareness and to encourage other Māori to stand.

Suaree Borell will run in the Te Awanui ward byelection. Photo / Mead Norton

“It’s my job to focus on getting wāhine Māori into local elections," Borrell said.

“Democracy is about representation and, on balance, Pākehā males are well-represented

“To get the best form of democracy … you need the diversity at the decision-making table, otherwise all you’re going to get is the same perspective.

“It’s really important that Māori are recognised and represented in the democratic process.”

Borrell’s hapū is Pirirakau and she is the deputy chairwoman on the board of her iwi Ngāti Ranginui.

Her family is one of the founding families in Whakamarama and have been at their whānau homestead for 130 years.

“While I don’t live in the area of Tauranga, I whakapapa to the area. The boundary for the election is not the same as the boundary for my whakapapa.”

“I will always stand to ensure that we are at least in the race to be at that decision-making table.”

Borell ran for mayor and in the Kaimai ward in the Western Bay of Plenty council elections in 2022.

Ashley Hillis is yet to decide if he'll run in the Te Awanui ward byelection. Photo / Alex Cairns

The other previous Te Awanui ward candidate Ash Hillis was unsure if he would run in the byelection.

He was deciding whether to run in the district or regional council elections in October instead.

“I learned a lot the first time around. It’s important in life to recognise our skill sets and to try to utilise them to the best of our ability to make positive change in the world, or to enact positive change in our community.”

Hillis hoped Sydney would have been able to resume his role rather than resign to “save the damages and the social implications that having a byelection would have”.

He said a byelection risked inflaming debate along racial lines.

In his opinion: “There seems to be an underlying racial sentiment still ever-present here in Tauranga, constantly rearing its head in social media groups.”

“With the current sociopolitical climate, it’s pretty imperative that we demonstrate the efficacy of Māori representation around [the] council table. Also, the value of having that tikanga Māori perspective and te ao Māori perspective as well.”

Mikaere Sydney's uncle Hemi Rolleston is "seriously considering" running in the byelection. Photo / David Hall

Sydney’s uncle Hemi Rolleston told Local Democracy Reporting earlier this week he was seriously considering running in the byelection and would likely confirm by the end of the week.

Rolleston raised $39,000 for his nephew through the “Mauaoathon” fundraiser he organised, for which people scaled Mauao and earned sponsorship for their climbs.

Tauranga electoral officer Warwick Lampp said the byelection would cost around $55,000.

The Details

Who can stand in the Te Awanui ward

To be eligible to stand for the Māori ward, a candidate must be a New Zealand citizen and their name must be on the Parliamentary electoral roll anywhere in New Zealand. They do not need to reside in the Tauranga city or be of Māori descent. They will need to be nominated by two electors whose names appear on the Māori electoral roll for Tauranga City.

Enrolling to vote

People of Māori descent can choose which roll they want to be on. If they are on the general roll and of Māori descent and want to vote in this byelection, they can change rolls up to election day by going to the Electoral Commission’s website www.vote.nz or by texting a name and address to 3676 to get a form sent, or by calling 0800 3676 56.

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