🔗 Share this article

The number of reserved positions for Māori representatives on NZ councils will be slashed by more than half, after a controversial law change that required local governments to put the fate of hard-won Indigenous wards to a popular referendum.

Background Information on Māori Wards

Indigenous electoral districts, which can include multiple councillors depending on demographic data, were established in 2001 to give Māori electors the option to vote for a assured Indigenous council member in municipal and provincial governments. Originally, councils could only create a Māori ward by initially submitting it to a public vote in their area. Local populations often devoted considerable time building community backing and pushing their local governments to establish Māori wards.

Legislative Shifts and Administrative Decisions

To address this concern, the previous Labour government permitted local councils to set up a Indigenous seat without first requiring them to put it to a popular ballot.

However, this year, the current administration overturned the policy, saying local residents should decide whether to establish Māori wards.

Voting Outcomes

The new legislation mandated local authorities that had established a ward under the previous policy to hold decisive public votes concurrently with the municipal polls, which ended on 11 October. Of 42 councils participating in the public vote, 17 decided to keep their wards, and 25 to disestablish theirs – revealing many regions opposed to guaranteed Māori representation.

The results represented “a vital step in reinstating local democratic control.”

Critics nevertheless have condemned the government’s law change as “racist” and “against Indigenous interests”. After assuming power, the current administration has implemented extensive reversals to policies intended to improve Indigenous welfare and political inclusion. Officials has stated it aims to end “ethnic-specific” approaches, and says it is committed to enhancing results for Indigenous people and all New Zealanders.

Urban-Rural Divide

Outcomes of the public votes were divided down city-country divisions – most urban centers required to vote supported Māori wards, while rural regions leaned strongly towards disestablishing them.

“It's unfortunate for the Indigenous seats that had only just come in – they’re just beginning to find their footing.”

Electoral Participation and Criticism

The recent municipal polls registered the smallest electoral participation in 36 years, with less than a third of eligible voters casting a vote, leading to calls for an overhaul.

This approach had been “a mockery”.

Differential Standards

Councils are permitted to create other types of electoral districts – including countryside seats – without initially mandating a public vote. The disparate requirements placed on Indigenous representation indicated the government was singling out Indigenous inclusion.

“Ultimately, they were unsuccessful. Many communities have expressed strong opposition.”

This statement concerned the 17 areas that voted to keep their seats.