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The number of reserved seats for Māori representatives on New Zealand councils is set to be cut by over 50%, after a divisive legislative amendment that forced municipal councils to put the future of hard-earned Indigenous wards to a public vote.

Background Information on Māori Wards

Māori wards, which may have one or more councillors based on demographic data, were established in 2001 to provide Māori electors the option to elect a guaranteed Indigenous council member in municipal and provincial governments. Initially, local governments could only establish a Māori ward by first putting it to a community referendum in their area. Local populations frequently spent years building local support and urging their councils to create Māori wards.

Policy Changes and Government Actions

To address this concern, the previous Labour government permitted municipal authorities to establish a Māori ward without initially mandating them to put it to a public vote.

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

Voting Outcomes

The new legislation required local authorities that had established a ward under Labour’s rules to conduct binding referendums concurrently with the local body elections, which concluded on October 11. Of 42 councils participating in the referendum, 17 voted to keep their seats, and twenty-five to abolish theirs – revealing numerous areas opposed to reserved Indigenous seats.

These outcomes represented “a vital step in restoring local democratic control.”

Critics nevertheless have condemned the new policy as “discriminatory” and “anti-Māori”. Since taking office, the coalition government has ushered in sweeping rollbacks to policies intended to enhance Indigenous welfare and political inclusion. The government has stated it wants to terminate “race-based” approaches, and says it is committed to enhancing results for Māori and all New Zealanders.

Urban-Rural Divide

The results of the public votes were split down city-country divisions – six of the seven cities required to vote backed Indigenous seats, while countryside areas leaned strongly towards disestablishing them.

“It's unfortunate for the Māori wards that had only just come in – they’re only just starting to find their footing.”

Electoral Participation and Criticism

This year’s municipal polls registered the smallest electoral participation in 36 years, with under one-third of citizens casting a vote, prompting demands for reform.

The process had been “a mockery”.

Differential Standards

Councils are permitted to establish different wards – such as rural wards – without first requiring a public vote. The different conditions applied to Māori wards suggested the government was targeting Māori representation.

“Well, they failed. Many communities have expressed strong opposition.”

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