Guaranteed Maori seats on New Zealand councils to be slashed by more than half

"The number of guaranteed seats for Maori representatives on New Zealand councils will be slashed by more than half, following a controversial law change that forced local governments to put the fate of hard-won Maori seats to a public vote. Maori wards, which may have one or more councillors depending on local population numbers, were established in 2001 to give Indigenous voters the option to vote for a guaranteed Maori representative in local and regional authorities."

"The coalition's law change required councils that had established a ward under Labour's rules to conduct binding referendums alongside the local body elections, which concluded on 11 October. Of 42 councils taking part in the referendum, 17 voted to retain their wards, and 25 to disestablish theirs revealing many regions opposed to guaranteed Maori representation. The minister for local government, Simon Watts, told the Guardian the results provided a vital step in reinstating local democratic control."

A 2024 law change forced councils that had created Maori wards without referendums to hold binding public votes on those wards. Of 42 councils voting, 17 retained Maori wards and 25 disestablished them, cutting guaranteed Maori seats by over half. Maori wards were established in 2001 to provide Indigenous voters with guaranteed representation on local and regional authorities. The law reversal reinstated mandatory community referendums and produced results framed by the government as returning local democratic control. Opposition parties characterized the change as racist and anti-Maori, and the coalition has rolled back several policies aimed at improving Maori wellbeing and representation.

Read at www.theguardian.com