June 10, 2013
Option effort not enough for Māori voters
Māori Party co-leader Tariana Turia say the low interest in the current Māori electoral option highlights the need to do more to encourage Māori participation in the political system.
Halfway through the four month process, just over 13,000 voters had switched from the Māori to the general roll or back the other way, and there were just under 5000 new enrolments.
Mrs Turia says all people who identify at Census time as Māori should be put on the Māori roll when they turn 18, with the option of switching later if they choose.
"There is no reason for the under-representation of our people in parliament. We know that if all of our people enrolled – it's not even those who are changing rolls that's the issue, it's the significant number of our people who for many years have never enrolled and that's huge so instead of having 15 seats in parliament, Māori have seven," Mrs Turia says.
The Electoral Commission is about to send a reminder postcard to the 366,000 enrolled Māori who have not yet sent back a form to exercise their choice.
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