🔗 Share this article

The count of reserved seats for Māori representatives on New Zealand councils will be cut by more than half, following a divisive law change that required municipal councils to submit the future of hard-earned Māori seats to a popular referendum.

Background Information on Māori Wards

Indigenous electoral districts, which may have multiple elected officials based on demographic data, were established in 2001 to give Māori electors the option to elect a guaranteed Indigenous council member in municipal and provincial governments. Originally, councils were only able to establish a Indigenous seat by first submitting it to a public vote in their region. Communities often devoted considerable time generating community backing and urging their councils to create Indigenous representation.

Legislative Shifts and Government Actions

To remedy the issue, the previous Labour government allowed local councils to establish a Māori ward without initially mandating them to subject it to a popular ballot.

But in 2024, the current administration reversed the change, stating communities should decide whether to establish Indigenous representation.

Voting Outcomes

The new legislation required councils that had created a electoral district under the previous policy to hold decisive public votes concurrently with the local body elections, which ended on 11 October. Of 42 councils participating in the referendum, 17 voted to retain their seats, and 25 to abolish theirs – revealing many regions opposed to guaranteed Māori representation.

These outcomes represented “a vital step in restoring community self-determination.”

Critics nevertheless have criticised the government’s law change as “racist” and “anti-Māori”. Since taking office, the current administration has ushered in extensive reversals to policies designed to enhance Māori health, wellbeing and representation. The government has said it wants to end “ethnic-specific” approaches, and says it is dedicated to enhancing results for Indigenous people and all New Zealanders.

Urban-Rural Divide

The results of the public votes were divided down city-country divisions – most cities required to vote supported Māori wards, while rural regions skewed heavily towards disestablishing them.

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

Electoral Participation and Concerns

The recent municipal polls recorded the lowest voter turnout in over three decades, with under one-third of citizens casting a vote, leading to calls for an overhaul.

This approach had been “a farce”.

Differential Standards

Local governments are permitted to create different electoral districts – such as rural wards – without initially mandating a community ballot. The disparate requirements applied to Indigenous representation indicated the government was targeting Māori representation.

“Well, they failed. Many communities have given the government a middle finger response.”

This statement referred to the 17 regions that chose to keep their seats.