Māori electoral option will change

‘‘The Māori Party bill was tightening up across all fronts.’’ Rawiri Waititi Māori Party co-leader

Māori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi has hit out at every other party, except the Greens, because they voted against his bill to make it easier for Māori to switch between the general and Māori electoral rolls.

After his bill was voted down on Wednesday night, Waititi said the Government’s alternative didn’t go far enough and was like a Christmas tree without the baubles.

Multiple reviews of the electoral system, and many academics, have said that changing the rules to make it easier for Māori to switch rolls would improve democratic engagement. The Labour Government voted against Waititi’s proposition because it introduced its own bill to make it easier to switch rolls.

Currently, Māori are offered the opportunity to join either the general or Māori roll when they enrol to vote. Then, every five years, Māori are given the chance to change rolls. The decision to change must be made within a four-month window.

Waititi’s bill was rejected at its first reading, on Wednesday night.

He criticised the Government for not also supporting his bill, but said it was good that most parties agreed there was a need for change. ‘‘Look, the bills have some similar things, but there’s a lot missing for all Māori to have a fairer participation in this country’s democracy,’’ he said.

‘‘The Māori Party bill was tightening up across all fronts. It was a total transformation of the current electoral system.’’

He said he would be proposing some changes to the bill when Parliament next considers it.

While both bills sought to address the same issue, there were some key differences in the details.

The Māori Party bill would have allowed Māori to change rolls at any time, whereas the Government bill included some periods where change could not occur.

The Māori Party bill would have also automatically enrolled Māori on the Māori roll, whereas if no preference is specified Māori are currently put onto the general roll. The Government bill would introduce some periods where voters were unable to switch between rolls, such as right before a by-election.