Reserved Indigenous Seats on NZ Councils to Be Slashed by More Than Half

The count of guaranteed positions for Indigenous council members on New Zealand councils is set to be cut by more than half, after a controversial law change that required municipal councils to put the future of hard-earned Māori seats to a public vote.

Background Information on Indigenous Representation

Indigenous electoral districts, which can include multiple councillors based on local population numbers, were established in 2001 to give Indigenous voters the choice to vote for a assured Indigenous council member in municipal and provincial governments. Initially, councils could only create a Māori ward by first putting it to a community referendum in their area. Communities often spent years generating local support and pushing their councils to create Māori wards.

Legislative Shifts and Government Actions

To remedy the issue, the previous Labour government permitted municipal authorities to set up a Māori ward without first requiring them to subject it to a popular ballot.

But in 2024, the current administration reversed the change, stating communities should decide whether to introduce Māori wards.

Voting Outcomes

The coalition’s law change mandated councils that had established a ward under Labour’s rules to hold binding referendums concurrently with the local body elections, which ended on October 11. Of 42 councils taking part in the referendum, 17 decided to retain their wards, and twenty-five to disestablish theirs – revealing many regions opposed to reserved Indigenous seats.

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

Critics nevertheless have condemned the government’s law change as “racist” and “against Indigenous interests”. Since taking office, the coalition government has ushered in sweeping rollbacks to policies intended to improve Māori health, wellbeing and representation. Officials has stated it wants to terminate “ethnic-specific” approaches, and says it is dedicated to improving outcomes for Māori and every citizen.

Urban-Rural Divide

Outcomes of the referendums were divided down city-country divisions – six of the seven urban centers required to vote supported Māori wards, while rural regions skewed heavily towards removing them.

“It’s a real shame for the Indigenous seats 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 registered the lowest voter turnout in 36 years, with under one-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 – including rural wards – without first requiring a public vote. The disparate requirements placed on Māori wards suggested the government was singling out Māori representation.