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The count of guaranteed seats for Indigenous council members on NZ councils will be cut by more than half, after a controversial legislative amendment that required municipal councils to put the future of hard-won Indigenous wards to a public vote.

Background Information on Indigenous Representation

Indigenous electoral districts, which can include one or more councillors based on local population numbers, were created in 2001 to give Indigenous voters the option to vote for a assured Māori representative in municipal and provincial governments. Originally, councils were only able to create a Indigenous seat by first putting it to a public vote in their region. Communities frequently spent years generating local support and urging their local governments to create Indigenous representation.

Legislative Shifts and Government Actions

To remedy the issue, the former administration permitted local councils to set up a Māori ward without first requiring them to put it to a popular ballot.

But in 2024, the right-wing coalition government reversed the change, saying local residents should decide whether to introduce Māori wards.

Referendum Results

The coalition’s law change mandated councils that had established a ward under Labour’s rules to hold decisive public votes concurrently with the local body elections, which concluded on 11 October. Of 42 councils taking part in the referendum, 17 decided to keep their wards, and 25 to abolish theirs – revealing numerous areas opposed to reserved Indigenous seats.

These outcomes represented “a crucial move in reinstating community self-determination.”

Opposition parties however have condemned the new policy as “racist” and “anti-Māori”. Since taking office, the current administration has implemented extensive reversals to policies designed to enhance Māori health, wellbeing and representation. The government has said it wants to terminate “ethnic-specific” policies, and asserts it is dedicated to improving outcomes for Māori and all New Zealanders.

Geographical Splits

The results of the public votes were split down city-country divisions – six of the seven cities mandated to hold referendums backed Indigenous seats, while countryside areas skewed heavily towards removing them.

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

Electoral Participation and Criticism

The recent municipal polls registered the lowest voter turnout in over three decades, with under one-third of eligible voters participating, prompting calls for an overhaul.

This approach had been “a mockery”.

Comparative Treatment

Councils are permitted to create other types of electoral districts – such as rural wards – without first requiring a community ballot. The disparate requirements applied to Indigenous representation indicated the administration was singling out Indigenous inclusion.

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

This statement referred to the 17 regions that voted to retain their wards.