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The number of guaranteed positions for Indigenous council members on New Zealand councils will be slashed by over 50%, after a controversial law change that required local governments to put the future of hard-won Indigenous wards to a public vote.

Background Information on Māori Wards

Indigenous electoral districts, which can include multiple councillors based on demographic data, were established in 2001 to give Indigenous voters the choice to elect a assured Māori representative in local and regional authorities. Originally, councils were only able to establish a Māori ward by initially putting it to a public vote in their area. Communities frequently devoted considerable time building local support and pushing their local governments to create Indigenous representation.

Policy Changes and Administrative Decisions

To remedy the issue, the former administration permitted municipal authorities to establish a Indigenous seat without initially mandating them to put it to a public vote.

However, this year, the right-wing coalition government overturned the policy, saying local residents ought to determine whether to establish Māori wards.

Voting Outcomes

The new legislation mandated councils that had created a electoral district under Labour’s rules to hold decisive public votes concurrently with the municipal polls, which ended on 11 October. Out of 42 local governments taking part in the public vote, 17 decided to retain their wards, and twenty-five to disestablish theirs – showing many regions opposed to guaranteed Māori representation.

The results represented “a vital step in restoring community self-determination.”

Opposition parties however have condemned the government’s law change as “racist” and “against Indigenous interests”. After assuming power, the current administration has ushered in sweeping rollbacks to measures intended to improve Māori health, wellbeing and representation. The government has said it aims to end “ethnic-specific” approaches, and asserts it is committed to enhancing results for Indigenous people and every citizen.

Urban-Rural Divide

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

“It's unfortunate for the Indigenous seats that had only just come in – they’re only just starting to hit their stride.”

Electoral Participation and Concerns

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

This approach had been “a mockery”.

Differential Standards

Local governments are permitted to create other types of electoral districts – such as rural wards – without initially mandating a community ballot. The disparate requirements applied to Māori wards suggested the administration was singling out Māori representation.

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

This statement concerned the 17 areas that voted to retain their wards.