2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the ‘Māori Electoral Option’, which allowed Māori to choose whether to be on the general electoral roll or the Māori electoral roll. Before 1975, the choice was made for us. Today more than half of registered Māori voters are on the Māori roll. Even more Māori registering for the first time are going directly onto the Māori roll. Being on the Māori role determines how many Māori seats there are in Parliament and which candidates we can vote for in national elections (we all get the same parties to vote for no matter what roll we’re on).
Māori wards in local Government are like Māori seats in Parliament, except that not every local Council has a Māori ward. Since 2021, 45 councils have created or promised Māori wards to try and break the cycle of “systemic exclusion of Māori from local government”. But a recent law change means that councils who established Māori wards without a referendum have to either get rid of their Māori ward or hold a poll in the 2025 local government elections. The results will take effect from 2028 and be binding for two election cycles.
WE HAVE UNTIL 1 AUGUST 2025 TO ENROL TO VOTE IN LOCAL ELECTIONS WHERE THE FATE OF MĀORI WARDS WILL BE DECIDED
Many attempts have been made over the years and are still being made to get more of us enrolled. This short course is my contribution to those efforts. Thanks to whānau who lent their voices to this course. Ka nui taku mihi ki a koutou katoa.
Ignore the bit at the bottom of the screen asking if you’ve paid or if you have a login. Neither are required. Just click on ‘Sim’s kōrero’ to begin. Throughout, ‘electorates’ and ‘seats’ mean the same thing.
