Maori officials are upset the status of a committee looking at how the new Auckland super city will manage its relationships with Maori has been downgraded.
Waitakere City Council's Maori liaison officer Rewi Spraggon says the committee, which brings together officials from eight councils, has been combined with other community services instead of being a stand-alone body.
He says members were told the decision came from the Auckland Transition Agency chief executive Mark Ford after consultation with Local Government Minister Rodney Hide.
