A Maori member of Bay of Plenty Regional Council says Maori are put off standing for general council seats because of their low chance of success.
Raewyn Bennett says there is keen interest in all three Maori wards on the regional council - the only dedicated Maori seats on any of the 83 councils in New Zealand.
But Ms Bennett says the overall number of Maori candidates for October's elections is low and the debate over Auckland's governance did little to encourage Maori participation.
"Under those circumstances," she said, "People think 'Oh why bother?'."
