April 04, 2023
The Māori Roll could unleash Māori political aspiration like no other event
Posted On April 4, 2023
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One of the most significant changes to NZ Politics occurred with very little fanfare last week, and that was the new rules around changing from General Roll to the Māori Roll.
Previously the process was a bureaucratic hurdle and had to occur 4 tears before an election. The changes now allow Māori to simply fill in an online form up until 3 months before the next general election.
This has the potential to unleash Māori Political Aspiration in this country that will finally resemble real co-governance. If every Māori in NZ went on to the Māori Roll, the Māori Electorates would go from 7 to 13!
13 Electorate seats would cement into NZ Politics an authentic Māori voice in decision-making, unlike any other current suggestion.
Over 50% of the Māori population are currently on the Māori Roll, previous attempts to reach out have always been hampered by socio-economic factors, however, social media has ubiquitous access to many and a well-funded social media campaign between now and the cut-off date of 13th July could begin a new march towards the creation of new Māori electorates.
If enough Māori swap to the Māori Electorate, they will create new electorates for the 2026 election.
The solution to gaining the political promise of the Treaty has been inside the current MMP rules for over a quarter of a century.