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The count of reserved seats for Māori representatives on NZ councils will be slashed by more than half, following a divisive law change that required municipal councils to put the future of hard-won Indigenous wards to a popular referendum.

Background Information on Māori Wards

Indigenous electoral districts, which may have multiple elected officials based on local population numbers, were created in 2001 to give Indigenous voters the choice to elect a guaranteed Indigenous council member in municipal and provincial governments. Initially, councils could only establish a Indigenous seat by initially submitting it to a community referendum in their region. Communities frequently spent years building community backing and pushing their councils to create Indigenous representation.

Legislative Shifts and Government Actions

To remedy the issue, the previous Labour government permitted municipal authorities to establish a Māori ward without initially mandating 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 Māori wards.

Voting Outcomes

The coalition’s law change required local authorities that had established a electoral district under Labour’s rules to hold binding referendums concurrently with the municipal polls, which ended on 11 October. Out of 42 local governments participating in the public vote, 17 decided to keep their seats, and 25 to abolish theirs – revealing numerous areas opposed to reserved Indigenous seats.

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

Critics however have criticised the new policy as “racist” and “against Indigenous interests”. After assuming power, the coalition government has ushered in sweeping rollbacks to policies intended to improve Indigenous welfare and political inclusion. The government has stated it wants to terminate “race-based” approaches, and asserts it is dedicated to improving outcomes for Māori and all New Zealanders.

Urban-Rural Divide

Outcomes of the referendums were split down city-country divisions – six of the seven cities mandated to hold referendums backed Indigenous seats, while rural regions leaned strongly towards removing them.

“It’s a real shame for the Māori wards that had recently been established – they’re just beginning to hit their stride.”

Electoral Participation and Criticism

This year’s municipal polls registered the smallest electoral participation in over three decades, with under one-third of eligible voters casting a vote, leading to demands for reform.

This approach had been “a farce”.

Comparative Treatment

Local governments are able to establish different electoral districts – such as countryside seats – without first requiring a public vote. The different conditions placed on Indigenous representation indicated the administration was targeting Indigenous inclusion.

“Ultimately, they were unsuccessful. Many communities have given the government a middle finger response.”

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