The Upper Valley Grand Lodge, a Governing Authority overseeing the Grand Council Lodges in the Wairarapa, fought to have the ban on Māori lifted. The New Zealand Sub Council were reluctant to do this, citing the excuse they had Lodges in the dry area of the King Country and there was concern that as the lodges served alcohol that Māori could not join, owing to a long-standing agreement that existed between the Kingitanga and Government. Grand Council England considered the matter, after the Upper Valley Grand Lodge wrote to GC in the United Kingdom to seek a ruling. Grand Council decided that the refusal by the New Zealand Sub Council to admit Māori as members was thoroughly inconstant with the principles of the Order and Sub Council were forced to comply with the decision of Grand Council. It was pointed out that "Māori were British Subjects", that "the policy of racial exclusion could not be justified because Māori brothers from the GLNZ GLE could attend Sub Council Lodges as visitor" and that by refusing to initiate Māori GC was missing out and GLE was gaining. New Zealand Sub Council thus was forced changed its policy and many brothers have joined since then. One such Māori brother to have joined and who rose through the ranks, was Bro. Percy Maniopoto RoH LM who become Grand President of New Zealand Sub Council in 1996. By the end of the decade of the 1950s New Zealand Sub Council had meeting registrations in the thousands but this would not last long. In the 1970s registrations began to decline, a situation that has continued to the present day, except for the Progressive Lodge of New Zealand. Lodges of Grand Council in New Zealand Since 1922, a total of 95 Grand Council Lodges have been opened in New Zealand. Apart from Chatham Lodge, the Grand Council has only ever been North Island based with no lodges to date in the South Island. As of May 2022, there remain 14 Grand Council Minor Lodges in New Zealand. Grand Executive Banner The Grand Executive Banner (GEB) was another Buffalo Order to have come out of Great Britain in the early 1920s. GEB were first formed in New Zealand, in Dunedin around 1920. The first Lodge was Otago GEB No 1. A second Lodge formed was the Royal Athenic Lodge in Port Chalmers, also under the Grand Executive Banner.