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The count of reserved seats for Indigenous council members on New Zealand local authorities will be cut by more than half, following a divisive law change that forced local governments to submit the fate of hard-won Indigenous wards to a popular referendum.

Historical Context on Māori Wards

Indigenous electoral districts, which may have one or more elected officials based on demographic data, were established in 2001 to provide Māori electors the option to elect a assured Māori representative in municipal and provincial governments. Originally, councils could only create a Indigenous seat by first putting it to a community referendum in their region. Local populations often spent years generating community backing and urging their councils to create Indigenous representation.

Policy Changes and Government Actions

To address this concern, the former administration permitted municipal authorities to set up a Indigenous seat without initially mandating them to subject it to a popular ballot.

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

Referendum Results

The coalition’s law change mandated local authorities that had created a electoral district under the previous policy to hold binding referendums alongside the local body elections, which concluded on 11 October. Of 42 councils participating in the public vote, 17 decided to retain their wards, and 25 to disestablish theirs – revealing numerous areas opposed to reserved Indigenous seats.

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

Opposition parties nevertheless have criticised the government’s law change as “discriminatory” and “against Indigenous interests”. Since taking office, the coalition government has implemented sweeping rollbacks to measures designed to enhance Indigenous welfare and political inclusion. The government has said it wants to end “ethnic-specific” policies, and says it is dedicated to improving outcomes for Indigenous people and every citizen.

Urban-Rural Divide

The results of the public votes were divided down city-country divisions – most cities mandated to hold referendums backed Indigenous seats, while countryside areas leaned strongly towards disestablishing them.

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

Voter Turnout and Criticism

This year’s local government elections recorded the smallest electoral participation in over three decades, with under one-third of citizens participating, leading to calls for an overhaul.

The process had been “a farce”.

Differential Standards

Local governments are able to create different wards – such as countryside seats – without initially mandating a community ballot. The disparate requirements applied to Māori wards indicated the government was targeting Māori representation.

“Well, they failed. Many communities have given the government a middle finger response.”

This statement concerned the 17 regions that chose to keep their seats.