Race Relations Commissioner Joris de Bres says there's a good argument for Maori seats on local councils: the Maori wards on the Bay of Plenty Regional Council provide effective representation.
Mr Bres is seeking a law change during a review of the New Zealand constitution because he says the provision of Maori seats on local councils should not be decided by a public vote.
Proposals to establish Maori wards in Nelson and Wairoa were voted down by electors on Saturday
A law-change could make Maori seats are a right, rather than subject majority endorsement in a poll.
There is a case for direct representation for tangata whenua in decision-making bodies as a reflection of the Treaty of Waitangi, and as a means of building understanding and dialogue, Mr de Bres says.
That had been the experience in the Bay of Plenty, an example which he says people need to consider before they make up their minds when voting for or against Maori wards in local councils.
Voters decide
On Saturday 79% of Nelson voters rejected a proposal to establish a Maori ward - even though the city council itself supported the move, and Wairoa District Council was blocked from introducing Maori wards even though its electoral roll includes one of the nation's highest percentages of Maori.
Though 46% of the electoral population in the Wairoa district are Maori - one of the nation's highest percentages of Maori voters on council rolls - that poll closed on Saturday with 52% of voters opposed the use of Maori wards.
In May last year the Wairoa council considered the first of two reports which provided background information on the establishment of Maori wards.
It then held five public meetings and mailed residents a discussion document on the issue, and an informal opinion survey for them to fill in.
When 62% of those who responded voted against introducing Maori wards, the council agreed not to hold a poll on the issue, until local government elections in October next year.
But in March the administration manager received a petition signed by more than the required 5% of register voters, demanding a poll be held as soon as possible.
