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The count of reserved seats for Indigenous council members on NZ local authorities is set to be cut by more than half, following a controversial legislative amendment that forced municipal councils to submit the future of hard-earned Indigenous wards to a popular referendum.

Historical Context on Indigenous Representation

Māori wards, which may have multiple councillors based on demographic data, were established in 2001 to provide Indigenous voters the choice to elect a guaranteed Indigenous council member in municipal and provincial governments. Originally, local governments could only create a Indigenous seat by initially submitting it to a public vote in their area. Communities frequently spent years generating local support and pushing their councils to create Indigenous representation.

Legislative Shifts 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 subject it to a popular ballot.

However, this year, the current administration reversed the change, stating local residents ought to determine whether to establish Indigenous representation.

Voting Outcomes

The coalition’s law change required local authorities that had established a electoral district under the previous policy to hold binding referendums alongside the local body elections, which ended on October 11. Out of 42 local governments taking part in the public vote, 17 decided to keep their wards, and twenty-five to disestablish theirs – revealing numerous areas against reserved Indigenous seats.

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

Opposition parties however have condemned the government’s law change as “racist” and “anti-Māori”. Since taking office, the coalition government has ushered in extensive reversals to measures designed to improve Indigenous welfare and political inclusion. The government has said it wants to terminate “ethnic-specific” policies, and says it is committed to improving outcomes for Māori and all New Zealanders.

Urban-Rural Divide

Outcomes of the referendums were split down city-country divisions – most urban centers mandated to hold referendums backed Indigenous seats, while rural regions skewed heavily towards disestablishing them.

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

Voter Turnout and Criticism

The recent local government elections recorded the lowest voter turnout in over three decades, with less than a third of citizens casting a vote, leading to calls for an overhaul.

This approach had been “a farce”.

Differential Standards

Councils are permitted to create other types of wards – such as rural wards – without first requiring a public vote. The disparate requirements applied to Indigenous representation suggested the government was targeting Māori representation.

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

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