NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • Generate wealth weekly
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Premium
Opinion
Home / New Zealand / Politics

Māori wards/seats could weaken the influence they aim to protect – Richard Prebble

Richard Prebble
Opinion by
Richard Prebble
NZ Herald·
17 Sep, 2025 05:00 PM4 mins to read
Richard Prebble is a former Labour Party minister and Act Party leader.

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

People in the public gallery sang waiata when the decision was made to adopt a Māori ward in the Western Bay of Plenty. Photo / Alisha Evans

People in the public gallery sang waiata when the decision was made to adopt a Māori ward in the Western Bay of Plenty. Photo / Alisha Evans

THE FACTS

  • Voters in 42 council elections will decide whether to retain Māori wards, established since 2020.
  • Māori wards are based on population.
  • The introduction of Māori wards in Rotorua reduced the number of Māori councillors from four to three.

If you vote in the 42 council elections where your council has created a Māori ward since 2020 you will also vote whether to retain the Māori ward.

The referendums may turn out to be the most significant vote.

Those in favour say it is a Treaty right and ensures diversity. Those against say Māori Wards violate the principle that all votes should be equal.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

As usual, the truth is more complicated.

Article Three of the Treaty grants Māori the rights of British subjects – the most valuable right is equality before the law.

Māori wards are established on the same population basis as general wards, so all votes are equal.

The settler Government that established Māori electorates in 1867 did so for the same reason that councils implemented Māori wards: governments govern by consent. Māori wards allow local government to claim that Māori are represented.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

That does not mean decisions will favour Māori.

As a lawyer, I had a judge order me to represent a defendant. The judge was not doing a favour. The judge was ensuring the defendant could not appeal against the judge’s decision because he was not represented.

Councils are more likely to take decisions that Māori oppose when the councils can say that Māori voices were heard.

It is my observation from three decades in Parliament that Māori seats have hurt Māori.

But many Māori leaders and communities will argue the opposite.

If general electorate MPs’ constituents were experiencing the appalling Māori social statistics, the MPs would have demanded action. But Māori are not their constituents.

While Māori Wards mean Māori are represented, wards can limit Māori representation.

When Labour changed the law to allow councils to establish Māori wards without holding a poll, the Rotorua Council rushed to do so.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Before the change, Rotorua had 10 general councillors, a rural councillor, and the mayor. Four of the general councillors identified as Māori. That reflected the city: around 43% of Rotorua’s population identifies as Māori.

Based on the number who choose to go on the Māori roll, Rotorua is entitled to three Māori ward councillors.

At the last election, three were duly elected. Two well-regarded Māori councillors, who stood for the general ward, lost.

I was disappointed because I could not vote for Trevor Maxwell, who has been a councillor for a record 48 years, personifies Rotorua, but stood for the Māori roll.

Everyone gets to vote for mayor. Tania Tapsell, herself Māori won.

After the introduction of Māori Wards in Rotorua, the number of Māori councillors has gone down.

If I lived in a district with no Māori representation, I would consider voting for Māori Wards. But how would I know? Candidates are under no obligation to declare their ethnicity.

And here is a more sensitive issue: who is Māori? The Census counts as Māori anyone who ticks the Māori box even if they also ticked other ethnicities.

By law, anyone who has a Māori ancestor may go on the Māori roll. It is possible there are people enrolled who are just 1/256 Māori, that is having a Māori ancestor eight generations ago.

Te Pāti Māori MP Tākuta Ferris claims Pākehā are trying to “steal” Māori seats. If he means the Māori MPs’ DNA, then Pākehā probably have.

One of the main reasons the 1986 Royal Commission recommended MMP was that it would ensure minorities were represented. Most commissioners said MMP would mean there would be no need for Māori seats.

MMP has delivered more MPs identifying as Māori than their share of the population.

Māori electorates have not boosted democratic engagement.

In last week’s Tāmaki Makaurau byelection, Te Pāti Māori’s Oriini Kaipara won with just 6031 votes out of 44,269 enrolled. When 38,238 either did not vote or voted against, how can Oriini Kaipara claim a democratic mandate?

On current polling, Labour’s path back to power depends on a coalition with Te Pāti Māori.

The Māori seats may cost Labour another election as the party moves away from the middle where elections are won to contest the Māori seats.

In my opinion, Te Pāti Māori’s extreme policies are challenging the rationale for separate representation.

Parliament has decided a referendum is the way to decide whether to have Māori Wards. Why is it the politicians and not the voters who decide whether to have Māori seats?

Sign up to Herald Premium Editor’s Picks, delivered straight to your inbox every Friday. Editor-in-Chief Murray Kirkness picks the week’s best features, interviews and investigations. Sign up for Herald Premium here.

Save
    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Politics

Live
New Zealand

Live: 'What the city needs': Council votes to notify housing plan change after showdown

24 Sep 05:01 AM
Politics

Nicola Willis: National-only Govt would have focused less on 'Māori-related issues'

24 Sep 04:45 AM
New Zealand

'UN needs serious reform': Luxon supports change after fiery Trump speech

24 Sep 04:30 AM

Sponsored

Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable

22 Sep 01:23 AM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Politics

Live: 'What the city needs': Council votes to notify housing plan change after showdown
Live
New Zealand

Live: 'What the city needs': Council votes to notify housing plan change after showdown

Auckland Council meets today to decide which zoning rules to adopt for consultation.

24 Sep 05:01 AM
Nicola Willis: National-only Govt would have focused less on 'Māori-related issues'
Politics

Nicola Willis: National-only Govt would have focused less on 'Māori-related issues'

24 Sep 04:45 AM
'UN needs serious reform': Luxon supports change after fiery Trump speech
New Zealand

'UN needs serious reform': Luxon supports change after fiery Trump speech

24 Sep 04:30 AM


Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable
Sponsored

Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable

22 Sep 01:23 AM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP