Guaranteed Māori Seats on NZ Local Governments to Be Slashed by Over 50%

The count of guaranteed positions for Indigenous council members on NZ local authorities will be cut by over 50%, following a controversial law change that required local governments to submit the fate of hard-won Indigenous wards to a public vote.

Background Information on Indigenous Representation

Māori wards, which may have multiple councillors based on demographic data, were created in 2001 to provide Māori electors the choice to elect a guaranteed Māori representative 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. Local populations often spent years generating local support and pushing their local governments to establish Indigenous representation.

Legislative Shifts and Administrative Decisions

To remedy the issue, the previous Labour government permitted municipal authorities to establish a Māori ward without first requiring them to subject it to a popular ballot.

However, this year, the current administration reversed the change, saying communities ought to determine whether to establish Indigenous representation.

Voting Outcomes

The coalition’s law change mandated councils that had established a ward under Labour’s rules to hold decisive public votes alongside the municipal polls, which ended on 11 October. Out of 42 local governments participating in the referendum, 17 decided to keep their wards, and twenty-five to abolish theirs – revealing many regions opposed to guaranteed Māori representation.

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

Opposition parties however have condemned the new policy as “discriminatory” and “against Indigenous interests”. After assuming power, the coalition government has implemented extensive reversals to measures intended to improve Māori health, wellbeing and representation. The government has stated it aims to terminate “ethnic-specific” policies, and says it is dedicated to enhancing results for Māori and every citizen.

Urban-Rural Divide

Outcomes of the public votes were divided down urban-rural lines – six of the seven urban centers required to vote backed Māori wards, while rural regions skewed heavily towards removing them.

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

Voter Turnout and Criticism

The recent local government elections recorded 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 farce”.

Comparative Treatment

Councils are able to create other types of electoral districts – including countryside seats – without initially mandating a public vote. The disparate requirements applied to Indigenous representation indicated the administration was singling out Māori representation.

“Ultimately, they were unsuccessful. Numerous localities have expressed strong opposition.”

This statement referred to the 17 regions that voted to keep their wards.