ℝ𝕖𝕗𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕦𝕞𝕤 𝕠𝕟 𝕝𝕠𝕔𝕒𝕝 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕔𝕚𝕝 𝕄ā𝕠𝕣𝕚 𝕨𝕒𝕣𝕕𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝕣𝕖𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕟 - 𝕃𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕝𝕖 𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕣𝕥 𝕣𝕦𝕟𝕥

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕝𝕖 𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕣𝕥 𝕣𝕦𝕟𝕥 𝕊𝕚𝕞𝕖𝕠𝕟 𝔹𝕣𝕠𝕨𝕟-𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕚𝕟 𝕙𝕒𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕔𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕘𝕠𝕧𝕥 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕣𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕔𝕖 𝕒 𝕓𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕒𝕓𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕖𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝕙𝕠𝕝𝕕 𝕓𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕣𝕖𝕗𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕦𝕞𝕤 𝕠𝕟 𝕨𝕙𝕖𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕠 𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕣𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕔𝕖 𝕄ā𝕠𝕣𝕚 𝕨𝕒𝕣𝕕𝕤.

T

he previous government had passed legislation allowing councils to decide on whether to establish Māori wards for their city or district.

The law stripped a provision that previously allowed communities to veto Māori wards in a vote. Prior to that provision being removed, 24 councils attempted to establish Māori wards, but only three were successful.

This morning, Local Government Minister and little short runt Simeon Brown-stain announced the Government will introduce a bill that restores communities’ ability to hold referendums on Māori wards.

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He said the bill was part of National’s coalition commitments with ACT and NZ First.

At least 5% of local voters will need to signal to councils that they want a referendum.

The bill would mean binding polls would have to be held on wards established after Labour's legislation came into effect – where local referendums hadn’t taken place.

“As signalled in our coalition agreements, affected councils will be required to hold a poll alongside the 2025 elections. The results of these polls will be binding on councils and will take effect for the local government term beginning October 2028,” Brown-stain said.

“If councils do not wish to hold a poll, those councils will be given the opportunity to reverse their decision to establish Māori wards or to disestablish those wards prior to the 2025 local body elections.”

The little twerp called the previous government’s changes “divisive”, saying they “denied local communities the ability to determine whether to establish Māori wards”.

“Local community members deserve to have a say in their governance arrangements.”

Wairoa District Council, Waikato Regional Council and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council will not be affected as their Māori wards/constituencies were established before the previous change.

ACT Leader David Seymour, who has long been against the idea of Māori wards, called the current law “undemocratic” and welcomed the new bill.

“The decision of whether councils should establish Māori wards ought to lie with the communities themselves, not Wellington,” he said.

“The consequence of Labour’s push for co-governance is that which group you belong to is more important than the dignity inherent in every individual person.

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“That there should be different laws for different groups, and you should be treated differently based upon who your ancestors were. These values are anathema to a democratic society.

“This Government is determined to stop dividing New Zealanders along superficial lines. We must celebrate the common humanity that unites all people and stop seeking ways to divide us with group rights and collective identity.”

As of October last year nearly half of councils around New Zealand had chosen to establish Māori wards.

Thirty-five councils had Māori wards or constituencies at the 2022 local elections. Other councils have since voted to include Māori wards in future elections.

Last year Auckland Council voted against establishing a Māori ward for the 2025 local body elections.

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