Reserved Indigenous Seats on NZ Councils to Be Reduced by Over 50%

The number of reserved seats for Indigenous council members on NZ local authorities will be slashed by over 50%, after a divisive law change that required local governments to put the fate of hard-won Māori seats to a popular referendum.

Background Information on Indigenous Representation

Indigenous electoral districts, which can include one or more councillors depending on demographic data, were created in 2001 to provide Indigenous voters the choice to vote for a guaranteed Māori representative in local and regional authorities. Initially, local governments could only create a Indigenous seat by first submitting it to a public vote in their region. Communities frequently devoted considerable time building community backing and pushing their local governments to create Indigenous representation.

Legislative Shifts and Government Actions

To remedy the issue, the previous Labour government allowed municipal authorities to establish a Indigenous seat without initially mandating them to subject it to a popular ballot.

However, this year, the current administration reversed the change, stating communities ought to determine whether to introduce Māori wards.

Voting Outcomes

The coalition’s law change mandated local authorities that had established a electoral district under the previous policy to hold binding referendums concurrently with the local body elections, which ended on 11 October. Of 42 councils participating in the referendum, 17 voted to keep their wards, and 25 to abolish theirs – showing numerous areas opposed to reserved Indigenous seats.

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

Critics however have criticised the new policy as “discriminatory” and “anti-Māori”. After assuming power, the current administration has ushered in extensive reversals to measures intended to improve Māori health, wellbeing and representation. The government has said it wants to terminate “ethnic-specific” policies, and asserts it is committed to improving outcomes for Indigenous people and all New Zealanders.

Urban-Rural Divide

Outcomes of the referendums were divided down urban-rural lines – most cities mandated to hold referendums supported Māori wards, while countryside areas leaned strongly towards removing them.

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

Electoral Participation and Criticism

This year’s local government elections recorded the lowest voter turnout in over three decades, with under one-third of eligible voters participating, prompting calls for an overhaul.

The process had been “a farce”.

Comparative Treatment

Councils are able to create other types of wards – including countryside seats – without initially mandating a public vote. The different conditions placed on Indigenous representation suggested the administration was singling out Indigenous inclusion.

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

This statement concerned the 17 areas that chose to keep their wards.