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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, after a divisive legislative amendment that forced local governments to put the fate of hard-earned Māori seats to a popular referendum.

Background Information on Māori Wards

Māori wards, which can include multiple councillors based on demographic data, were created in 2001 to give Māori electors the option to vote for a guaranteed Māori representative in municipal and provincial governments. Originally, local governments were only able to create a Indigenous seat by first submitting it to a public vote in their area. Communities frequently spent years building community backing and urging their local governments to establish Indigenous representation.

Legislative Shifts and Government Actions

To address this concern, the former administration allowed local councils to establish a Māori ward without first requiring them to put it to a popular ballot.

But in 2024, the current administration reversed the change, saying communities ought to determine whether to introduce Indigenous representation.

Voting Outcomes

The new legislation required councils that had created a electoral district under Labour’s rules to conduct decisive public votes alongside the local body elections, which ended on 11 October. Of 42 councils participating in the public vote, 17 voted to keep their wards, and twenty-five to disestablish theirs – showing many regions opposed to guaranteed Māori representation.

The results provided “a crucial move in reinstating community self-determination.”

Opposition parties nevertheless have condemned the government’s law change as “discriminatory” and “against Indigenous interests”. After assuming power, the coalition government has implemented extensive reversals to measures designed to improve Māori health, wellbeing and representation. Officials has said it wants to terminate “ethnic-specific” policies, and asserts it is dedicated to enhancing results for Indigenous people and every citizen.

Geographical Splits

Outcomes of the public votes were divided down urban-rural lines – six of the seven urban centers required to vote supported Indigenous seats, while countryside areas skewed heavily towards disestablishing them.

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

Electoral Participation and Criticism

This year’s municipal polls recorded the smallest electoral participation in 36 years, with less than a third of citizens participating, leading to demands for reform.

This approach had been “a mockery”.

Differential Standards

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

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

This statement concerned the 17 areas that voted to keep their seats.