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The number of reserved seats for Indigenous council members on NZ councils is set to be slashed by more than half, after a divisive law change that required municipal councils to submit the future of hard-earned Māori seats to a public vote.

Background Information on Māori Wards

Māori wards, which can include one or more elected officials based on local population numbers, were established in 2001 to give Indigenous voters the option to elect a guaranteed Māori representative in local and regional authorities. Originally, local governments were only able to establish a Māori ward by initially putting it to a community referendum in their region. Communities often spent years building community backing and pushing their councils to establish Indigenous representation.

Legislative Shifts and Administrative Decisions

To remedy the issue, the former administration permitted municipal authorities to establish a Indigenous seat without initially mandating them to subject it to a public vote.

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

Referendum Results

The new legislation mandated local authorities that had created a ward under Labour’s rules to hold decisive public votes concurrently with the municipal polls, which ended on 11 October. Of 42 councils taking part in the referendum, 17 decided to retain their seats, and 25 to disestablish theirs – revealing many regions against reserved Indigenous seats.

These outcomes represented “a vital step in restoring community self-determination.”

Critics however have condemned the government’s law change as “discriminatory” and “against Indigenous interests”. After assuming power, the coalition government has ushered in sweeping rollbacks to policies intended to improve Māori health, wellbeing and representation. The government has said it aims to terminate “ethnic-specific” approaches, and says it is committed to enhancing results for Māori and every citizen.

Urban-Rural Divide

The results of the referendums were divided down urban-rural lines – six of the seven cities required to vote backed Indigenous seats, while rural regions skewed heavily towards removing them.

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

Electoral Participation and Concerns

This year’s local government elections recorded the lowest voter turnout in over three decades, with under one-third of citizens casting a vote, leading to calls for an overhaul.

This approach had been “a mockery”.

Comparative Treatment

Councils are permitted to create different wards – including rural wards – without initially mandating a public vote. The disparate requirements placed on Indigenous representation indicated the government was singling out Māori representation.

“Well, they failed. Numerous localities have expressed strong opposition.”

This statement concerned the 17 regions that voted to keep their wards.