Pro-democracy lobby group Democracy Action welcome New Zealand First’s commitment to hold firm rejecting the Te Tai Tonga MP Rino Tirikatene’s bill to entrench the Māori seats.

The Bill, which would require any changes to the seats to require the same 75 percent of votes as other constitutional changes, is considered dead after New Zealand First voted against it on Wednesday.

The spokesperson for Democracy Action, Lee Short, says, “The Māori seats are from a bygone era, and should have been removed when MMP was introduced in 1996 – as was recommended by the Royal Commission which led to its introduction.”

“New Zealanders’ civil and democratic rights should not be based on race or ethnicity.”

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