Māori ward referendum U-turn a ‘kick in the guts for our people’
Thursday, 4 April 2024
The Government will reverse a law change making it easier to establish Māori seats around council tables
At the 2025 local government elections, a binding referendum will be held about the future of every Māori ward set up in the past few years.
Local Government NZ called the move an “overreach” by the Government on local decision making.
The Government has been accused of double standards, after announcing plans that will make it far harder for councils to have Māori seats.
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown confirmed the Government would be reversing the change to local government law that meant referendums could not veto or disestablish Māori seats at council tables.
When the Government passes legislation to allow referendums on Māori representation, Brown said that bill would also include a provision that every Māori ward established over the past few years would require a referendum for it to continue.
These referendums would be held at the 2025 local government election, according to Brown’s plan.
“The Coalition Government will reverse the previous government’s divisive changes that denied local communities the ability to determine whether to establish Māori wards. Local community members deserve to have a say in their governance arrangements,” Brown said.
Local government leaders, Māori and Opposition parties have called the proposal “deeply concerning” and “racist”.
Nīkau Wi Neera, the first representative of Wellington City Council’s Māori ward, Te Whanganui-a-Tara, said if the Government was seriously concerned about local democracy then it would have considered referendum on other issues, such as lowering the voting age.
“Why didn’t they support abolishing the ratepayer roll, which allows people who don’t even live here to vote? I’ll gIve you a hint, it’s not about fairness, it’s about buckling to ACT and New Zealand First’s racist agenda,” he said.
Ahead of the 2022 council elections, the Labour Government made legal changes so it would be easier for councils to establish Māori wards.
The establishment of Māori wards did not mean Māori voters had an extra vote. Instead, Māori could chose to vote in a Māori ward instead of a general ward for councils that opted to establish that option.
Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) president and Selwyn mayor Sam Broughton said the move was a “complete overreach” by the Government on local decision making.
“Empowering local government to make decisions about their own communities is what this Government campaigned on and is not being delivered today,” he said.
“We have long asked that Māori wards and constituencies be treated like all other wards and the decisions be made at the council level.”
He called the announcement a “skewed version of democracy that isn’t used to determine any other wards or constituencies, just Māori ones. We say the Government needs to either apply them to all wards or none at all.
“We now have the highest representation of Māori elected members in local government ever. The Government’s decision risks the mana of our Māori elected members and their rightful, elected place on councils.
“Claims that Māori wards and constituencies give Māori more votes than anyone else are wrong and politicians should think carefully before inflaming these important conversations with misinformation,” he added.
Brown said Labour’s referendum changes had been “divisive”.
The coalition had signalled this change, through its agreements with NZ First and ACT. Both parties campaigned against the easier avenue for Māori wards.
Labour’s Māori development spokesperson Willie Jackson said the Government was trying to limit Māori representation.
“This isn’t about democracy,” he said.
“The truth is, this was a wonderful change to allow more Māori to participate in local democracy. It’s sad to see it being thrown out. This will be another kick in the guts for our people, but they are getting used to that from this Government,” Jackson said.
Kahu Paki Paki, Nelson City Council's first Māori ward councillor, said the move was hypocritical, with minority parties ACT and NZFirst exercising a “disproportionate amount of power”, despite criticising co-governance for doing the same thing.
Paki Paki said the Government knew a referendum would be detrimental to Māori wards, as Māori are in the minority in most places.
“Māori wards don’t just represent iwi, there are matāwaka [Māori who don’t whakapapa to the region], they’re a connection for those away from their whenua to their local government,” he said.
Kaipara’s first Māori ward councillor Pera Paniora said Māori wards were democratic, and a part of guarantees laid out under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Prior to Māori wards, Māori councillors didn’t know whether they had a mandate to represent Māori, or understand Māori issues in each region, as there was no roll to determine who was actually Māori, she said.
Meanwhile, Ngāti Kauwhata spokesperson Meihana Durie, who led a Manawatū collective of tangata whenua in a bid to see a Māori ward established in the Manawatu district, said the decision was “deeply concerning”.
“The decision is deeply concerning, both in terms of Māori rights, but also in terms of the Government’s intention to erase and eradicate all of the positive gains we’ve made as a nation in recent years,” he said.
“That means Māori will quite likely become untethered from any meaningful role in local council.
“That’s what a referendum does, it wins against the minority voice. Referendum, as we know from our experience, provides an opportunity for the majority to over-represent in terms of Māori rights under Te Tiriti.”
Durie said the misinformation and disinformation, particularly around myths that Māori have more votes than anyone else, was a dangerous risk.
“People view Māori as a threat to their own existence. That type of rhetoric is an extremely dangerous thing. That has a high risk of racist attitudes seeping back into communities.”
Durie said the move created fear that it encouraged resentment of Māori presence.