There have already been Māori constituencies on an Auckland-wide council in the past. Prior to 1989, the former Auckland Regional Authority had 26 general seats and two seats elected from Māori constituencies in the region. These two Māori constituencies were referred to as the ‘Northern Maori Electoral District’ and the ‘Western Māori Electoral District’. Established in 1986, they were repealed in the 1989 reorganisation of local government, in favour of a regional authority with fewer seats overall[1]. So the issue, as well as being debated at a central government level, is by no means a new one for the region.
In 2006 24.3% (137,133[2]) of New Zealand’s Māori population were usually resident in the Auckland region in 2006[3]. Auckland has the largest Māori population in New Zealand. However, the data collection methods used by Statistics New Zealand in the census allow for more than one ethnicity to be stated. This could mean that as well as those who are ineligible to vote, the number of electors on the Māori electoral roll in the Auckland region may be significantly less than the 137,133 who identify as Māori on the census.
Click here for voter turnout in Auckland local body elections 2001-2007 (opens in a new window).
Voter turnout in the 2007 Auckland Regional Council elections was 38%, which was lower than the national average of 41% for regional councils. Auckland turnout has since 2001 been at least 3% lower than the national average[4].
In the 2008 General Election, the Māori electorate of Tāmaki Makaurau (encompassing the Auckland region) had the lowest turnout of any electorate, at 58.5%. The highest turnout of any Māori electorate was Waiariki with 64.5%. The turnout of the highest-ranking Māori electorate was lower than the lowest-ranking General electorate.
This report aims to move past using arguments about dedicated Māori seats at a central government level. Central government seats have long been a contentious issue in New Zealand politics and the seats themselves are not entrenched, so need only a 75% majority in the House for the seats to be repealed.
Rather, this project proposes and discusses Auckland-specific issues that could be created through the provision of dedicated Māori representation, then moves on to discuss any other relevant means of indigenous local government representation besides dedicated seats.
The opportunities and risks presented in this report are designed to be as value-free as possible, so as not to unduly influence the debate. At the same time as trying to remain value-free, there is the need to present something meaningful and new, which is why the focus is on opportunities and risks; as opposed to a piece that is propagating a particular standpoint.
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 information related to opportunities created by dedicated Māori representation, 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.