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

The number of guaranteed positions for Indigenous council members on New Zealand local authorities will be slashed by more than half, after a controversial legislative amendment that required local governments to submit the future of hard-won Māori seats to a popular referendum.

Background Information on Māori Wards

Indigenous electoral districts, which may have one or more elected officials depending on local population numbers, were created in 2001 to provide Indigenous voters the option to vote for a guaranteed Māori representative in local and regional authorities. Initially, local governments could only create a Māori ward by initially submitting it to a community referendum in their region. Local populations often spent years generating local support and pushing their local governments to create Māori wards.

Policy Changes and Government Actions

To remedy the issue, the previous Labour government permitted local councils to establish a Indigenous seat without first requiring them to put it to a public vote.

But in 2024, the right-wing coalition government overturned the policy, saying communities should decide whether to establish Indigenous representation.

Referendum Results

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 October 11. Of 42 councils taking part in the referendum, 17 decided to keep their wards, and twenty-five to disestablish theirs – showing many regions opposed to reserved Indigenous seats.

These outcomes represented “a crucial move in reinstating community self-determination.”

Critics however have condemned the new policy as “racist” and “anti-Māori”. Since taking office, the coalition government has ushered in sweeping rollbacks to policies intended to enhance Indigenous welfare and political inclusion. Officials has stated it wants to terminate “race-based” approaches, and asserts it is committed to improving outcomes for Indigenous people and every citizen.

Urban-Rural Divide

The results of the referendums were split down city-country divisions – six of the seven cities mandated to hold referendums backed Indigenous seats, while countryside areas skewed heavily 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.”

Voter Turnout and Concerns

The recent municipal polls registered the lowest voter turnout in over three decades, with under one-third of eligible voters casting a vote, leading to calls for an overhaul.

This approach had been “a mockery”.

Comparative Treatment

Councils are able to create other types of wards – such as countryside seats – without first requiring a public vote. The disparate requirements placed on Māori wards suggested the administration was singling out Indigenous inclusion.