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The number of guaranteed seats for Indigenous council members on NZ councils will be cut by more than half, after a divisive law change that required local governments to submit the future of hard-won Indigenous wards to a popular referendum.

Background Information on Māori Wards

Indigenous electoral districts, which may have multiple councillors depending on local population numbers, were established in 2001 to give Indigenous voters the choice to vote for a guaranteed Indigenous council member in municipal and provincial governments. Initially, local governments were only able to establish a Indigenous seat by first submitting it to a community referendum in their region. Communities frequently devoted considerable time building community backing and urging their councils to create Indigenous representation.

Policy Changes and Administrative Decisions

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

However, this year, the right-wing coalition government overturned the policy, saying communities should decide whether to establish Māori wards.

Referendum Results

The new legislation mandated local authorities 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 participating in the referendum, 17 decided to retain their wards, and 25 to disestablish theirs – showing many regions against reserved Indigenous seats.

The results represented “a crucial move in restoring community self-determination.”

Critics however have criticised the new policy as “racist” and “anti-Māori”. After assuming power, the coalition government has ushered in sweeping rollbacks to measures intended to improve Indigenous welfare and political inclusion. The government has stated it wants to terminate “ethnic-specific” policies, and asserts it is dedicated to enhancing results for Indigenous people and all New Zealanders.

Urban-Rural Divide

The results of the referendums were divided down city-country divisions – six of the seven urban centers required to vote backed Indigenous seats, while rural regions leaned strongly towards removing them.

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

Voter Turnout and Criticism

The recent municipal polls registered the lowest voter turnout in 36 years, with less than a third of eligible voters casting a vote, prompting calls for an overhaul.

This approach had been “a mockery”.

Comparative Treatment

Local governments are able to create other types of electoral districts – including rural wards – without initially mandating a community ballot. The different conditions applied to Indigenous representation suggested the government was singling out Indigenous inclusion.

“Well, they failed. Many communities have given the government a middle finger response.”

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