🔗 Share this article

The number of guaranteed seats for Indigenous council members on NZ councils will be cut by over 50%, following a divisive law change that required municipal councils to submit the fate of hard-earned Indigenous wards to a popular referendum.

Historical Context on Māori Wards

Māori wards, which can include multiple councillors depending on demographic data, were established in 2001 to give Indigenous voters the choice to elect a guaranteed Māori representative in municipal and provincial governments. Initially, councils could only establish a Māori ward by first putting it to a public vote in their area. Communities often devoted considerable time building local support and urging their councils to create Indigenous representation.

Legislative Shifts and Administrative Decisions

To address this concern, the previous Labour government permitted local councils to set up a Indigenous seat without first requiring them to subject it to a public vote.

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

Voting Outcomes

The coalition’s law change mandated local authorities that had created a ward under Labour’s rules to hold binding referendums concurrently with the local body elections, which concluded on October 11. Of 42 councils taking part in the referendum, 17 voted to retain their wards, and twenty-five to disestablish theirs – showing many regions opposed to guaranteed Māori representation.

These outcomes provided “a crucial move in reinstating community self-determination.”

Opposition parties nevertheless have criticised the government’s law change as “discriminatory” and “against Indigenous interests”. After assuming power, the current administration has implemented extensive reversals to measures designed to enhance Indigenous welfare and political inclusion. The government has said it wants to terminate “ethnic-specific” approaches, and says it is committed to enhancing results for Māori and every citizen.

Urban-Rural Divide

Outcomes of the public votes were split down city-country divisions – most urban centers required to vote supported Indigenous seats, while rural regions leaned strongly towards removing 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 Concerns

The recent municipal polls recorded the smallest electoral participation in 36 years, with less than a third of eligible voters casting a vote, prompting calls for an overhaul.

The process had been “a farce”.

Comparative Treatment

Councils are able to create other types of electoral districts – including countryside seats – without first requiring a public vote. The different conditions placed on Māori wards indicated the government was singling out Māori representation.

“Well, they failed. Numerous localities have given the government a middle finger response.”

This remark referred to the 17 areas that voted to retain their seats.