🔗 Share this article

The number of guaranteed seats for Indigenous council members on New Zealand councils is set to be slashed by over 50%, after a divisive law change that required municipal councils to put the future of hard-earned Indigenous wards to a popular referendum.

Historical Context on Indigenous Representation

Indigenous electoral districts, which may have one or more elected officials depending on demographic data, were established in 2001 to provide Indigenous voters the choice to elect a assured Indigenous council member in municipal and provincial governments. Originally, councils could only establish a Indigenous seat by first putting it to a public vote in their region. Communities frequently spent years building local support and pushing their councils to establish Māori wards.

Legislative Shifts and Administrative Decisions

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

However, this year, the right-wing coalition government reversed the change, stating local residents should decide whether to introduce Māori wards.

Referendum Results

The coalition’s law change mandated councils that had established a electoral district under the previous policy to conduct binding referendums concurrently with the local body elections, which ended on October 11. Of 42 councils participating in the referendum, 17 voted to retain their seats, and twenty-five to disestablish theirs – revealing many regions against reserved Indigenous seats.

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

Critics nevertheless have criticised the new policy as “discriminatory” and “against Indigenous interests”. After assuming power, the current administration has implemented sweeping rollbacks to measures designed to improve Māori health, wellbeing and representation. Officials has said it wants to terminate “ethnic-specific” approaches, and asserts it is committed to improving outcomes for Indigenous people and all New Zealanders.

Urban-Rural Divide

Outcomes of the public votes were split down urban-rural lines – most urban centers required to vote supported Indigenous seats, while rural regions skewed heavily towards disestablishing them.

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

Electoral Participation and Criticism

The recent municipal polls recorded the smallest electoral participation in over three decades, with under one-third of eligible voters casting a vote, prompting demands for reform.

This approach had been “a farce”.

Comparative Treatment

Councils are permitted to create different wards – such as countryside seats – without initially mandating a community ballot. The different conditions placed on Māori wards indicated the government was singling out Māori representation.

“Well, they failed. Numerous localities have expressed strong opposition.”

This remark concerned the 17 regions that chose to retain their seats.