🔗 Share this article

The number of reserved seats for Māori representatives on NZ councils will be cut by more than half, after a controversial legislative amendment that required municipal councils to submit the fate of hard-won Māori seats to a popular referendum.

Historical Context on Indigenous Representation

Māori wards, which may have multiple councillors depending on demographic data, were established in 2001 to provide Māori electors the choice to elect a assured Indigenous council member in municipal and provincial governments. Initially, councils could only establish a Indigenous seat by first submitting it to a public vote in their region. Communities often devoted considerable time building community backing and pushing their councils to create Māori wards.

Legislative Shifts and Administrative Decisions

To remedy the issue, the former administration permitted municipal authorities to set up a Indigenous seat without initially mandating them to subject it to a popular ballot.

But in 2024, the current administration reversed the change, stating communities ought to determine whether to introduce Indigenous representation.

Voting Outcomes

The new legislation required councils that had created a electoral district under the previous policy to hold decisive public votes alongside the local body elections, which concluded on October 11. Of 42 councils taking part in the public vote, 17 decided to retain their seats, and 25 to disestablish theirs – revealing numerous areas against reserved Indigenous seats.

The results provided “a vital step in restoring community self-determination.”

Critics nevertheless have condemned the government’s law change as “racist” and “against Indigenous interests”. Since taking office, the coalition government has ushered in sweeping rollbacks to measures intended to enhance Māori health, wellbeing and representation. Officials has said it wants to terminate “ethnic-specific” approaches, and asserts it is committed to enhancing results for Māori and all New Zealanders.

Geographical Splits

Outcomes of the referendums were divided down city-country divisions – six of the seven cities mandated to hold referendums backed Indigenous seats, while rural regions skewed heavily towards removing them.

“It’s a real shame for the Māori wards that had only just come in – they’re only just starting to hit their stride.”

Electoral Participation and Criticism

The recent local government elections registered the smallest electoral participation in over three decades, with under one-third of citizens casting a vote, prompting demands for reform.

The process had been “a farce”.

Comparative Treatment

Local governments are permitted to establish other types of wards – including countryside seats – without initially mandating a public vote. The different conditions placed on Indigenous representation indicated the administration was targeting Māori representation.

“Ultimately, they were unsuccessful. Many communities have given the government a middle finger response.”

This remark concerned the 17 regions that voted to keep their wards.