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The count of reserved seats for Indigenous council members on NZ local authorities will be cut by over 50%, following a controversial legislative amendment that required local governments to submit the future of hard-won Māori seats to a public vote.

Background Information on Māori Wards

Māori wards, which can include multiple elected officials based on local population numbers, were created in 2001 to give Māori electors the option to vote for a assured Māori representative in municipal and provincial governments. Originally, councils were only able to create a Māori ward by first putting it to a community referendum in their area. Communities frequently spent years building community backing and urging their local governments to establish Indigenous representation.

Policy Changes and Administrative Decisions

To remedy the issue, the previous Labour government permitted local councils to establish a Māori ward without initially mandating them to subject it to a public vote.

But in 2024, the right-wing coalition government reversed the change, saying communities ought to determine whether to establish Indigenous representation.

Voting Outcomes

The new legislation required local authorities that had created a electoral district under the previous policy to conduct binding referendums alongside the municipal polls, which ended on October 11. Of 42 councils participating in the public vote, 17 voted to retain their wards, and 25 to disestablish theirs – showing numerous areas opposed to guaranteed Māori representation.

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

Opposition parties nevertheless have condemned the government’s law change as “discriminatory” and “anti-Māori”. Since taking office, the coalition government has implemented sweeping rollbacks to policies designed to improve Indigenous welfare and political inclusion. The government has said it wants to terminate “race-based” approaches, and says it is committed to improving outcomes for Māori and every citizen.

Geographical Splits

Outcomes of the public votes were split down city-country divisions – six of the seven cities required to vote backed Māori wards, while rural regions leaned strongly towards disestablishing them.

“It's unfortunate for the Indigenous seats that had recently been established – they’re only just starting to find their footing.”

Electoral Participation and Concerns

This year’s local government elections registered the smallest electoral participation in 36 years, with less than a third of eligible voters casting a vote, prompting calls for an overhaul.

This approach had been “a mockery”.

Differential Standards

Local governments are able to create different wards – including countryside seats – without initially mandating a community ballot. The different conditions placed on Māori wards suggested the administration was targeting Indigenous inclusion.

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

This remark referred to the 17 areas that voted to retain their wards.