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The number of reserved positions for Indigenous council members on New Zealand councils will be slashed by more than half, after a divisive law change that required local governments to put the future of hard-won Indigenous wards to a popular referendum.

Background Information on Indigenous Representation

Indigenous electoral districts, which can include one or more councillors based on demographic data, were created in 2001 to give Indigenous voters the option to elect a assured Indigenous council member in local and regional authorities. Initially, councils were only able to establish a Māori ward by first submitting it to a public vote in their area. Communities often spent years building local support and urging their local governments to create Māori wards.

Legislative Shifts and Administrative Decisions

To address this concern, the former administration allowed local councils to establish a Indigenous seat without initially mandating them to put it to a public vote.

But in 2024, the right-wing coalition government overturned the policy, stating local residents ought to determine whether to establish Māori wards.

Voting Outcomes

The new legislation required councils that had established a ward under Labour’s rules to hold binding referendums concurrently with the municipal polls, which concluded on 11 October. Of 42 councils participating in the public vote, 17 decided to keep their seats, and 25 to disestablish theirs – revealing many regions against reserved Indigenous seats.

The results represented “a vital step in restoring community self-determination.”

Opposition parties however have condemned the new policy as “discriminatory” and “anti-Māori”. Since taking office, the coalition government has ushered in extensive reversals to measures intended to enhance Māori health, wellbeing and representation. Officials has stated it wants to end “race-based” policies, and asserts 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 urban centers mandated to hold referendums backed Māori wards, while rural regions leaned strongly towards removing them.

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

Voter Turnout and Concerns

The recent local government elections recorded the smallest electoral participation in over three decades, with less than a third of eligible voters participating, leading to demands for reform.

This approach had been “a mockery”.

Comparative Treatment

Councils are permitted to establish different wards – such as countryside seats – without initially mandating a community ballot. The disparate requirements applied to Māori wards indicated the administration was targeting Indigenous inclusion.

“Well, they failed. Numerous localities have given the government a middle finger response.”

This remark concerned the 17 regions that chose to keep their wards.