Māori vote up 15 per cent in 2020 election; biggest shift among young people

Data from the Electoral Commission shows 390,306 Māori voted in 2020 compared with 338,980 in 2017. Photo / File

Originally published by Māori Television

The number of Māori who voted in the 2020 General Election increased by 51,326, or 15.1 per cent, compared with the 2017 election.

Data from the Electoral Commission shows 390,306 Māori voted in 2020 compared with 338,980 in 2017.

Chief electoral officer Alicia Wright says there was also a significant increase in the number of Māori who enrolled in the 2020 election.

There were 535,472 Māori voters enrolled in the 2020 election compared with 476,798 in 2017, showing an increase of 58,674, or 12.3 per cent of voters in total.

Wright says there was a big increase in the number of young people turning out to vote this year.

For the 18-to-24-year-old age group, 43,293 more voted, representing an increase of 18.8 per cent.

"When the younger people start voting, the more likely they are to be voters for life, which is important if we are to continue to have high participation rates in future elections," Wright says.

The 30-34 age group also increased by 20.7 per cent.