Te Pāti Māori are calling out the Government for failing to support legislation that would advance Māori rights and move us toward a more Te Tiriti-centric aotearoa, after choosing to vote against Rawiri Waititi’s Member’s Bill to fix Aotearoa’s ‘racist’ electoral system.

Waititi’s Bill, the Electoral (Right to Switch Rolls Freely) Amendment Bill, was voted down 107 – 12 at first reading last night, with only Te Pāti Māori and the Green Party voting in support.

“Passing my Member’s Bill is the bare minimum the government could have done to uphold voting rights and honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi in this country. Instead, they chose to vote against it simply so they can be the ones to provide their own watered-down solutions to problems created by their system” said Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi.

“While Labour have followed our lead by introducing their own electoral bill which I am happy to support, theirs is like a Christmas tree without the decorations while our bill is a Christmas tree with all the decorations and presents for our whānau” said Waititi.

“There will still be issues with electorate boundaries not being redrawn after each election to reflect current enrolled voters.

“If someone identifies as Māori when enrolling but doesn’t choose an electoral roll, they should be placed on the Māori electoral roll as we know from research that many of our people are automatically put on the non-Māori roll if they sign a paper-based form.

“My bill would also change the name of ‘general electoral district’ to ‘non-Māori electoral district’, as the voting all electorates takes place during a ‘general election’. This doesn’t just confuse Māori voters; it labels us as the ‘other’.

“We’ve inherited an electoral system that was purposely designed to prevent Māori from participating in our democracy and remains one of the most racist areas of law this country has” Waititi said.

“Māori are currently being locked out of fully participating in our democracy for up to 8 years at a time. Thousands of Māori request to change rolls every year, leading to thousands of Māori disengaging from voting altogether.

“The Government has a responsibility to ensure Aotearoa has free and fair elections that don’t lock out any one group from participating. My Bill would do just that. This should’ve been a no-brainer for the Labour Party especially since we’ve already done the mahi for them” said Waititi.

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer’s Member’s Bill, the Prohibition on Seabed Mining Legislation Amendment Bill, is set have its first reading in Parliament in December. Passing this Bill is essential for the protection of our moana, as well as tangata whenua interests, from corporate plunder. Te Pāti Māori are calling on Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to put her words into action and show leadership on what is one of the most significant issues of this generation. Failing to do so is actively choosing to vote against indigenous people once, our environment, and the futures of our mokopuna.

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