Last year the Manawatū District Council voted to introduce Māori wards to ensure representation for its Māori voters. But racist hate group Hobson's Pledge organised a referendum against the wards, using a racist clause of our local government legislation which allows voters a say on Māori representation, but not on anything else. And sadly, it seems that rural Manawatū voters are indeed the racists Don Brash thought they were:
Manawatū District voters have come out more than three-to-one in opposition to creating separate Māori wards.I guess those stereotypes about rural folk being redneck arsehats are at least 75% true.
Results from a binding poll have come in on Tuesday afternoon, with 7062 voting against, and 2038 in favour.
Some 43 per cent of electors cast a vote, with 18 votes counted as blank and one "informal".
Meanwhile, Palmerston North is in the middle of a similar racist referendum, and today is the last day to post your vote. I'm hoping we'll have a different result here.
