Māori constituencies for regional council
To provide for and enhance Māori representation in in local government, legislation provides for the option for regional councils to establish Māori constituencies. In October 2020, Northland Regional Council voted to establish Māori constituencies for the 2022 regional council elections. This web page aims to answer some of the common questions people may have about the process.
Māori constituencies are specific electoral areas designed to provide for Māori representation on regional councils in New Zealand. These constituencies are like Māori electorates in the national parliament and are intended to provide specific democratic representation for Māori.
Only people on the Māori electoral roll can vote for candidates standing in the Māori constituencies. Māori constituencies exist alongside general constituencies, covering the same geographic areas.
Northland Regional Council has had a Māori constituency (Te Raki Māori) with two councillor representatives since the 2022 elections.
The Te Raki Māori constituency was introduced to better reflect the make-up of our communities and ensure more democratic representation. Despite more than a third of Northlanders being Māori, this diversity was not reflected at the council table. Council introduced Māori seats as a way to provide for Māori representation in decision-making processes.
After several workshops, and having heard from many people representing different viewpoints on the debate, Council voted in favour of establishing Māori seats.
- Standing for election: Any eligible person can stand in either Māori or general constituencies. Candidates do not need to be of Māori descent or on the Māori electoral roll to stand in a Māori constituency, but they must be New Zealand citizens, parliamentary electors, and nominated by two electors from the ward/constituency they are standing in.
- Voting: Only those on the Māori electoral roll can vote for candidates standing in Māori constituencies. Similarly, those on the general roll can only vote for candidates standing in general wards.
Yes. Voters in Māori constituencies receive the same number of votes as those in general constituencies. In fact, there’s a statutory formula for determining the number of Māori constituency seats. It is based on the total number of councillor positions available, and the proportion of those on the Māori roll compared to the general roll, per council area. It is this provision that ensures that a vote in a Māori constituency has broadly the same weight as a vote in any other ward.
Not in terms of what they get paid – it doesn’t change the total pool of money allocated for paying council’s elected representatives. If the number of councillors goes up, each councillor will be paid less.
No. Māori constituency councillors will sign the same oath as other councillors; at the decision table they will represent and make decisions for the good of all Northlanders, not just Māori.