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The count of guaranteed positions for Indigenous council members on NZ councils is set to be slashed by over 50%, after a controversial law change that required local governments to put the future of hard-won Māori seats to a popular referendum.

Historical Context on Indigenous Representation

Māori wards, which may have multiple elected officials based on local population numbers, were created in 2001 to provide Indigenous voters the option to vote for a assured Māori representative in municipal and provincial governments. Initially, councils could only establish a Indigenous seat by first putting it to a public vote in their region. Local populations frequently devoted considerable time generating community backing and pushing their councils to create Māori wards.

Policy Changes and Government Actions

To address this concern, the former administration permitted municipal authorities to set up a Indigenous seat without initially mandating them to put it to a popular ballot.

However, this year, the right-wing coalition government overturned the policy, saying communities should decide whether to introduce Māori wards.

Referendum Results

The new legislation required councils that had established a electoral district under the previous policy to hold binding referendums alongside the municipal polls, which concluded on October 11. Of 42 councils taking part in the public vote, 17 decided to retain their wards, and 25 to disestablish theirs – showing numerous areas opposed to reserved Indigenous seats.

The results provided “a crucial move in restoring local democratic control.”

Opposition parties nevertheless have condemned the new policy as “discriminatory” and “anti-Māori”. Since taking office, the current administration has ushered in sweeping rollbacks to policies intended to improve Indigenous welfare and political inclusion. Officials has said it aims to end “race-based” policies, and says it is committed to enhancing results for Indigenous people and all New Zealanders.

Urban-Rural Divide

The results of the referendums were split down city-country divisions – six of the seven cities required to vote supported Māori wards, while rural regions leaned strongly towards disestablishing them.

“It’s a real shame for the Indigenous seats that had recently been established – they’re just beginning to find their footing.”

Electoral Participation and Criticism

The recent local government elections recorded the smallest electoral participation in 36 years, with under one-third of citizens participating, prompting demands for reform.

This approach had been “a mockery”.

Differential Standards

Local governments are permitted to establish other types of electoral districts – including rural wards – without initially mandating a public vote. The different conditions applied to Indigenous representation indicated the government was targeting Indigenous inclusion.

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

This remark concerned the 17 areas that chose to keep their seats.