🔗 Share this article

The number of guaranteed positions for Māori representatives on New Zealand councils is set to be cut by over 50%, following a controversial law change that required municipal councils to submit the fate of hard-won Māori seats to a popular referendum.

Background Information on Māori Wards

Māori wards, which may have multiple councillors based on local population numbers, were established in 2001 to provide Māori electors the option to elect a assured Indigenous council member in local and regional authorities. Initially, councils could only create a Māori ward by first putting it to a community referendum in their region. Communities frequently spent years generating local support and urging their councils to establish Indigenous representation.

Legislative Shifts and Government Actions

To address this concern, the former administration permitted municipal authorities to establish a Māori ward without initially mandating them to put it to a public vote.

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

Voting Outcomes

The coalition’s law change required councils that had established a electoral district 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 retain their wards, and 25 to abolish theirs – showing many regions opposed to reserved Indigenous seats.

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

Opposition parties nevertheless have criticised the new policy as “racist” and “against Indigenous interests”. Since taking office, the coalition government has ushered in extensive reversals to measures intended to enhance Māori health, wellbeing and representation. The government has stated it wants to terminate “race-based” policies, and asserts it is dedicated to improving outcomes for Māori and all New Zealanders.

Urban-Rural Divide

The results of the public votes were divided down urban-rural lines – six of the seven urban centers required to vote backed Indigenous seats, while rural regions skewed heavily towards disestablishing them.

“It's unfortunate for the Māori wards that had recently been established – they’re just beginning to find their footing.”

Voter Turnout and Concerns

This year’s municipal polls registered the lowest voter turnout in over three decades, with under one-third of citizens casting a vote, prompting demands for reform.

This approach had been “a mockery”.

Comparative Treatment

Local governments are permitted to create other types of wards – such as countryside seats – without initially mandating a public vote. The disparate requirements applied to Māori wards suggested the administration was singling out Indigenous inclusion.

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

This statement concerned the 17 areas that chose to keep their wards.