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The number of guaranteed positions for Indigenous council members on NZ councils will be slashed by over 50%, after a divisive legislative amendment that required municipal councils to submit the fate of hard-won Indigenous wards to a popular referendum.

Background Information on Māori Wards

Māori wards, which may have one or more councillors based on local population numbers, were created in 2001 to provide Indigenous voters the choice to vote for a guaranteed Indigenous council member in municipal and provincial governments. Initially, local governments could only establish a Indigenous seat by first putting it to a community referendum in their region. Communities often spent years generating local support and pushing their local governments to create Māori wards.

Policy Changes and Government Actions

To address this concern, the previous Labour government allowed municipal authorities to set up 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 ought to determine whether to introduce Indigenous representation.

Voting Outcomes

The coalition’s law change required councils that had created a electoral district under Labour’s rules to hold binding referendums alongside the local body elections, which concluded on 11 October. Out of 42 local governments taking part in the public vote, 17 voted to keep their seats, and 25 to disestablish theirs – revealing numerous areas opposed to reserved Indigenous seats.

These outcomes provided “a crucial move in restoring community self-determination.”

Critics nevertheless have condemned the new policy as “discriminatory” and “anti-Māori”. After assuming power, the coalition government has implemented extensive reversals to policies designed to improve Māori health, wellbeing and representation. The government has stated it wants to terminate “race-based” approaches, and asserts it is committed to improving outcomes for Indigenous people and all New Zealanders.

Urban-Rural Divide

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

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

Voter Turnout and Concerns

This year’s local government elections registered the lowest voter turnout in 36 years, with under one-third of citizens participating, leading to demands for reform.

This approach had been “a farce”.

Comparative Treatment

Councils are able to create different electoral districts – including rural wards – without first requiring a community ballot. The different conditions placed on Indigenous representation suggested the administration was singling out Māori representation.

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

This statement referred to the 17 areas that chose to keep their seats.