Local Government (Electoral Legislation and Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Bill
This bill changes the rules around Māori wards and Māori constituencies (seats on local councils set aside for Māori voters) across New Zealand. It requires councils that already have these wards to either keep them and hold a public vote on whether to continue them, or disestablish them. It also gives local residents the ability to demand a public vote on whether their council should have Māori wards. Separately, it adjusts some timing rules for local election processes.
What this affects
Tap a topic to see how this bill touches it — with the parts of the text it’s based on.
The bill changes how local councils can set up or remove dedicated Māori seats, and lets residents vote on whether those seats should exist.
A group 1 local authority must, by 6 September 2024,— (a) resolve to retain the 1 or more Māori wards or Māori constituencies it has established for electoral purposes since 2020; or (b) resolve to disestablish the 1 or more Māori wards or Māori constituencies it has established for electoral purposes since 2020.
A specified number of electors of a territorial authority or regional council may, at any time, demand that a poll be held on the question whether the district should be divided into 1 or more Māori wards
specified number of electors... means a number of electors equal to or greater than 5% of the number of electors enrolled as eligible to vote at the previous triennial general election
Progress through Parliament
Have your say
Submissions open once a bill reaches the select committee stage. In the meantime, you can write to your local MP about it.
Write to your MPBill text sourced from legislation.govt.nz (Parliamentary Counsel Office). Arapono’s summary and breakdown are drafted with AI grounded in that official text and reviewed by an Arapono editor for accuracy and neutrality before publishing. Arapono is non-partisan and takes no position on this bill.