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 Māori. 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, suggesting that the Māori roll is important for Māori civic participation.
In 2025 voters will also go to the polls to choose whether or not we keep Māori wards. Since 2021, 45 councils have established or committed to establish Māori wards to try and break the cycle of “systemic exclusion of Māori from local government”. Parliament has since changed the law, forcing councils that established Māori wards without a referendum to either disestablish their ward or hold a poll in the 2025 local government elections. Almost all of the councils who established Māori wards have voted to keep them and must now hold referenda, the results of which 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 MĀORI WARDS WILL BE DECIDED
With this milestone, and the 2026 general election in mind, this course encourages users to learn more about Māori seats in Parliament and Māori wards in local Government. Throughout, the phrases ‘General electorates’ and ‘General seats’ mean the same thing. As do ‘Māori electorates’ and ‘Māori seats’.
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 – whakapapa and kaupapa – who lent their voices to this course. Ka nui taku mihi ki a koutou katoa.
Let’s start with a quiz to get us warmed up. Click on the quiz now.
