This section is not designed to discuss reasons for including dedicated Māori representation in the Auckland governance structure.
Instead, it looks at opportunities that have the potential to be created through the inclusion of dedicated Māori representation.
The Māori Electoral Roll
Dedicated Māori representation may, as outlined in the previous section on risks, result in more Māori shifting onto the Māori roll, as voting and representation externalities produced by Auckland’s Māori constituencies become more apparent. This creates an opportunity for when the option is next run, for the choice to take on even more significance than it usually does.
As discussed earlier, not all people who identify as Māori are enrolled on the Māori electoral roll. The proposal for dedicated Māori representation at a local level may encourage more electors to take a greater interest in the roll that they are on, thereby increasing engagement in voting and political behaviour overall. This will mean more electors opting to go on the roll they think best represents their interests (whether that be 2010 or 2012) due to the increased salience of the decision.
Promoting Non-Māori Interest in Māori Issues
As mentioned in sections 3.1 and 3.2, non-Māori are able to seek election in Māori constituencies, providing that they are nominated in the correct fashion. This has the potential opportunity of encouraging non-Māori to take an interest in Māori-specific issues. Non-Māori political parties also contest Māori electorates during central government elections, as demonstrated in 2008 with parties other than The Māori Party contesting Māori electorates. This serves to demonstrate that the major political parties are at least taking note of Māori electorates. It is possible that non-Māori local body politicians will do similar.
This would allow the representation of Māori interests to go further than simply the number of constituencies at councillor-level of Figure One. By building an awareness of Māori issues, improvements in wider social outcomes can be achieved, whether this is through long-term council planning and management of resource use, or a wider shift.
Encouraging Political Debate and Accountability
By introducing Māori constituencies at a local level, political discussions and campaigning could be undertaken on a different scale and potentially through a different methodology. Assuming that candidacy in the constituencies is contested; there will undoubtedly be public meetings, hui and other opportunities for local authority candidates to engage with Māori. This is important because Māori have traditionally had a low voting turnout and may not have been seen before as a viable group to canvass, but with Māori constituencies, could appear more important to politicians and their campaigning.
Research undertaken by Christine Cheyne and Veronica Tahwai demonstrated that Māori feel a greater sense of connection with local government if they are able to recognise their elected representatives based on their community activities and interaction at a grassroots level[1]. By starting this process on the campaign trail for specifically Māori constituencies, there is the opportunity to better engage Māori with local government than is currently done. This will hopefully in turn, increase voter turnout and encourage better community involvement overall.
Improving The “Supercity” Perception More Generally
Complaints levied against the reorganisation of Auckland’s governance from eight elected councils to one unitary authority have included a perceived loss of representation by councillors, who will instead be replaced by community boards, as illustrated in Figure One. This perceived loss of representation can potentially be mitigated through the inclusion of Māori constituencies, particularly if the demand for such comes from a ‘flax-roots’ level.
If a petition arising from s19 (Z) b of the Local Electoral Act 2001 was to be successful, it would demonstrate the continued voice of Auckland electors in the running of their council. This would be a positive opportunity to encourage wider community involvement and engagement with local government through managing the petition process.
If electors feel that they have achieved dedicated Māori representation through the provisions of the Local Electoral Act, they are possibly more likely to place greater importance on it than if the government had initially adopted the Royal Commission’s recommendations from the outset. Building on that opportunity, voter turnout and general public interest in the issue may be greater and continue for a longer period of time.
Improving Wider Engagement
Because of the public controversy created through the wider reorganisation of Auckland’s governance, there may also be an increase in citizens enrolling to vote who were not, for whatever reason, on any electoral roll. Debates over dedicated Māori representation and representation more broadly have the potential to improve voter enrolments and therefore democratic accountability and engagement. Given that calculations used in electoral constituencies include an allowance for non-enrolment, the issue of dedicated Māori representation has the opportunity to provide wider gains.
Opportunities for Māori Asset Base in the Auckland Region
Māori in the Auckland region control an asset base worth $2.5billion[2]. Increased participation at local authority level could lead to advantageous joint venture projects between iwi and the regional authority. The specific details of projects would require extensive negotiation and consultation between relevant iwi and local authorities, but as an idea in principle, could significantly contribute to the Auckland region’s overall growth.
As well as the potential for joint ventures, the land held by Ngati Whatua, including Bastion Point and significant tracts of Auckland CBD’s waterfront are also subject to local authority regulation. By encouraging a more Māori-oriented approach towards resource use, the overarching indigenous goal of self-determination[3] can be supported.
Setting The Tone For Wider Debate
Despite the enabling legislative provisions having been in place since 2001, there still remains only one local authority with dedicated Māori representation in place. It is unclear why no other local authorities have availed themselves of the opportunity.
If the local authority with New Zealand’s largest Māori population were to introduce dedicated Māori representation, it would set the tone for Auckland as a leader in local government. Given that Auckland is presently the only unitary authority being created in New Zealand, any future local government reorganisation will look to Auckland to determine what worked well in the transformation.
The introduction of dedicated Māori representation in conjunction with other local government reforms would push the issue of Māori representation to the forefront when other local authorities start comparing and evaluating their practices with Auckland.
For Risks & Opportunities At A Glance, click here.
For information on ‘technical issues’, such as definitions, click here.
For information related to Māori representation as a public policy issue, click here.
For more information about Māori representation and Auckland specifically, click here.
For information related to the risks created by dedicated Māori representation, click here.
For other methods of indigenous minority representation, click here.
For news related to Māori representation in local government, click here.