June 01, 2023
Iwi leaders push election sign up
The National Iwi Chairs Forum is encouraging Māori to take advantage of the Māori electoral option to get themselves ready for October’s election.
Māori have until July 13 to shift between the Māori and general rolls.
The Electoral Commission is also using the exercise to get Māori voters to make sure their information correct, such as changes of address, and to encourage first time voters to sign up.
Iwi Chairs member Te Huia Bill Hamilton says it’s also a chance to clear up persistent confusion around the option and help people understand the choice of roll is about who you want to choose as your electorate representative, while the party vote determines who forms the next Government.
“It doesn’t really matter which roll we’re on but it does matter that we vote because most elections are won by a one or a two percent margin, and when you think Maori make up 14 to 15 to 16 percent of the population, we’ve got that influence if we whakakotahi, if we work together,” he says.
Since March 31 just over 26,337 voters of Māori descent have changed rolls, enrolled for the first time, or updated their details.