Concept of democracy is being tested - Roger Handford

Māori already had the voting power to elect their preferred representatives - even before Gisborne District Council decided to introduce a Māori Ward, says Roger Handford.

Opinion

Roger Handford is a journalist and a commentator.

OPINION

Māori representation is a major issue following the Government’s decision to impose a referendum on local bodies’ Māori Ward decisions.

The question has rapidly become clouded by statements from various quarters that are blatantly incorrect.

There are conflicting views on what democracy means.

There are the obligations of the Treaty of Waitangi.

Here in Tairāwhiti it needs to be understood that Māori already had the voting power to elect their preferred representatives - even before the district council decided to introduce a Māori Ward.

That decision - taken without a referendum - meant this district voted for five Māori Ward councillors and eight General Ward councillors in the 2022 local body election.

Right after the results were confirmed, I warned that the voter turnout and the result did not give the council a mandate to do what it pleased.

In view of the Māori Ward issue, I now revisit the election results to show how the concept of democracy is being tested.

First, just over 38,000 people were eligible to vote, but 33,562 people enrolled. Of that, 14,731 actually voted - less than half of those eligible.

For the Māori Ward, 10,857 people chose the Māori Roll, but only 3650 actually voted.

So about a third of those on the Māori Roll cast a vote compared to almost half of the 23,091 people on the General Roll.

Historic figures show nationwide the voting turnout for district councils has dropped from 65% in 1989, to just 45% in 2022.

The plunge in voter interest has caused concern at many levels - especially as efforts have been made in an attempt to bring voters back, without success.

Even more effort has been made to build Māori engagement, with an even more distressing lack of response.

Examining the election results here reveals the gap between the Māori vote and General vote - puzzling when the population statistics show Māori account for more than half of those who live here.

Claims that Māori are not represented in local decision making are confronted by the figures that show Māori have not moved off the General Roll, for whatever reason; over 4000 people chose not to enrol; and only a third of those on the Māori roll chose to vote in the Māori Ward.

A closer look at the local election results shows it took far fewer votes to achieve a Māori Ward seat than it did a General Ward seat.

Eight General councillors were elected with a total of 10,515 votes; five Maori Ward councillors were elected with just 3210 votes.

The top General Ward councillor gained 1921 votes - the top Māori Ward councillor was elected with 844 votes.

It should also be noted the top General Ward vote went to Councillor Josh Wharehinga, who chose not to stand for a Māori Ward seat.

These figures raise questions as to why Māori have chosen not to exercise their democratic rights by enrolling and voting - and why the chance to vote for Māori Ward councillors got such a poor response.

The numbers clearly show Māori voters do have the electoral power in their own hands to ensure they have full representation on our local council - with or without a Māori Ward.

Misleading comments have been made about “Farmers’ Wards” - presumably referring to the Rural Wards that existed until recently.

It should be understood that those wards were created because they represented geographic areas that had a different set of “commonality of interests” than the City Ward. They were not created on the basis of ethnicity, and they were for everyone who lived in those areas, not just farmers.