Requiring Māori to ‘opt in’ to Māori roll impacts how we engage in politics

Māori voters who want to switch electoral rolls before the election will can do so from today until July 13. Photo / Whakaata Māori

OPINION:

I am Māori - why do I need to “opt in” to be on the Māori roll?

This is a question I ask myself every time we have a local or general election in Aotearoa.

Why isn’t every Māori, who has already been registered as Māori when their birth certificate was filled out, for example, by default, on the Māori electoral roll?

Is it because it’s seen as too complicated from an administrative point of view to split out the system from the outset?

Or is it because of the representational impact of having every eligible Māori automatically enrolled on the Māori roll?

I suspect the root cause is because of “politics”, rather than “logistics”.

When the Māori Party first came to be, I floated this idea with Peter Sharples – that all who identify as a Māori, simply go on the Māori roll. If they don’t want to be on the Māori roll when they get their ‘”check if your enrolment details are correct” papers, they can opt out then, and go on the general roll.

I want to raise this issue again as we head into the 2023 general election.

Previously, eligible voters could “opt in” to be on the Māori roll when they first enrolled to vote, and then could only change roll types during the Māori Electoral Option every five or six years.

From March 31 this year, we can change rolls at any time, except in the months before an election or before a parliamentary byelection if the change would move us into the electorate where the byelection is being held. This year, Māori have until July 13 to change rolls.

Some would say this is making it “easier” for us to ensure we are on the Māori roll if we want to be. But I say it’s not enough.

Professor Wiremu Doherty. Photo / Supplied

It should be simpler. If you’re Māori, the option should be to “opt out” to be on the Māori roll, rather than manually “opt in”. Why do we have to go through an extra step to access what is our right?

In talking about “our right”, I also acknowledge that not every Māori wants to be on the Māori roll. I respect their decision.

In the 2020 General Election, 52.4 per cent of Māori voters were on the Māori roll. That’s only just over half of voters. This year, as of March 29, 51 per cent are on the Māori roll.

We’re lagging in numbers on the Māori roll. That means we’re denying ourselves the opportunity to have a greater voice on issues that impact Aotearoa. Politically, I’ve always been on the Māori roll - simply to strengthen the voice of Māori in our public sector.

The number of Māori on the Māori and general rolls, together with the results of the census, are used to determine the number of Māori and general electorates.

The roll we are on impacts which candidates we can choose from in a parliamentary election. It impacts who we can vote for in a local body election. The more Māori we have on the Māori roll, the more Māori electorates we could have.

If every individual who identified as Māori was on the Māori roll, and voted, we would gain far greater representation in Parliament.

I look to the National Congress of American Indians, founded in 1944 – it’s the oldest, largest, and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organisation serving the interests of tribal governments and communities.

It’s a lofty aspiration at this point to talk about a Congress of Māori, like the model of the National Congress of American Indians, but when we get to the crux of it, is that what we fear? The impact around representation?

For me, it’s about a matter of principle, it’s about our constitutional right as Māori. We are not a minority in Aotearoa. We are the indigenous peoples of Aotearoa, and each individual voice matters.

We’re often quick to highlight the numbers of Māori, or Pacific peoples, when it comes to talking about negative statistics. But when it comes to benefitting Māori, by potentially giving us greater representation, suddenly we must “opt in” to being Māori.

It’s yet another barrier we must cross, and I believe it’s impacting how Māori engage in politics, and how many of us engage in politics.

Māori were not “conscripted” into World War II – they volunteered. Participation was seen by some of our Māori leaders, included Apirana Ngata, as the ”price of citizenship”. Ultimately, nearly 16,000 Māori enlisted for service during World War II, and by the time the latter ended in 1945, the Māori Battalion had become one of the most celebrated and decorated units in the New Zealand forces.

We’ve fought for Aotearoa, we’ve fought in the name of the Crown - willingly. So why, when it comes to representation in Parliament, does it still feel like we are second-class citizens who must opt in to, in essence, “be” Māori? I’ve talked previously about why we need a greater focus on developing an education system that recognises the knowledge and skills unique to Māori and te ao Māori. That to do so requires an unequal and greater amount of resource that focuses on this to achieve equity for Māori in education.

The same concept applies when it comes to encouraging more Māori to engage in the politics, and future, of this country. We need to flip the system and put greater focus on encouraging Māori to be on the Māori roll so that we can achieve equity in the political space.

There is a sense that some people see to “be Māori” is to also be anti-Pākehā and anti-establishment. This is not the case here.

I am Māori. And I’m proud to be Māori. But I’m not anti-establishment. I’m not anti-Pākehā. I’m proud of my Pākehā heritage. It’s a question of equity.

We’re currently propping up a voting system that in essence promotes inequities. We need one that in its focus on Māori, supports more equitable representation for all, and encourages Māori to vote.

I believe that having every eligible Māori automatically included in the Māori roll, and being given the choice to “opt out” of the Māori roll, rather than have to manually “opt in” in the first instance, can go some way towards helping achieve this.

Professor Wiremu Doherty is the chief executive officer of Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi.