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The count of reserved seats for Indigenous council members on NZ local authorities will be slashed by over 50%, after a divisive legislative amendment that forced municipal councils to put the future of hard-earned Māori seats to a popular referendum.

Background Information on Māori Wards

Māori wards, which can include one or more councillors depending on demographic data, were created in 2001 to provide Māori electors the option to vote for a guaranteed Māori representative in local and regional authorities. Originally, local governments were only able to establish a Māori ward by first putting it to a community referendum in their region. Local populations frequently spent years generating community backing and pushing their councils to create Indigenous representation.

Legislative Shifts and Government Actions

To address this concern, the previous Labour government allowed local councils to establish a Indigenous seat without first requiring them to put it to a public vote.

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

Voting Outcomes

The new legislation required local authorities that had established a ward under the previous policy to hold decisive public votes concurrently with the local body elections, which ended on 11 October. Of 42 councils taking part in the public vote, 17 voted to keep their seats, and twenty-five to abolish theirs – showing many regions against reserved Indigenous seats.

These outcomes provided “a vital step in reinstating community self-determination.”

Critics however have criticised the government’s law change as “discriminatory” and “against Indigenous interests”. Since taking office, the coalition government has implemented sweeping rollbacks to measures designed to improve Māori health, wellbeing and representation. Officials has said it aims to end “ethnic-specific” policies, and says it is committed to improving outcomes for Indigenous people and all New Zealanders.

Geographical Splits

Outcomes of the referendums were split down urban-rural lines – most cities required to vote supported Indigenous seats, while countryside areas skewed heavily towards removing them.

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

Electoral Participation and Concerns

The recent local government elections recorded the lowest voter turnout in over three decades, with less than a third of eligible voters casting a vote, prompting demands for reform.

The process had been “a mockery”.

Comparative Treatment

Councils are permitted to create other types of electoral districts – such as countryside seats – without initially mandating a public vote. The different conditions placed on Māori wards indicated the administration was targeting Indigenous inclusion.

“Ultimately, they were unsuccessful. Numerous localities have expressed strong opposition.”

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