David Seymour: there is no need to have a separate roll

Waatea Team David Seymour

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Act leader and Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour is facing heat this week over his Regulatory Standards Bill, with critics saying it puts corporate interests ahead of communities and Māori. He’s also defending his social media attacks on opponents, while celebrating a big funding boost for GPs.  David joined Dale for a wide ranging Korero on everything from the Regulatory Standards Bill to the latest campaign on the Maori roll option. In an emphatic statement earlier this year, Seymour told Waatea News: “If you talk to a lot of people who are Māori, they will say ‘I don’t like someone from another hapū ending up representing me … It is best for people right across the ethnic spectrum … one person, one vote.”

He argues that the existence of seven Māori seats in Parliament, established in 1867, no longer aligns with democratic equality; especially with over 20 MPs of Māori descent elected via the general roll. 

In Seymour’s words, separate Māori representation is a “corrosive obsession with a person’s race” and offends the ideal of individual citizenship. David Seymour remains steadfast in his belief that Māori electorates are an outdated practice incompatible with equal representation. Backed by ACT’s small-government platform, he is pushing for a referendum on the matter. Opposition voices warn the move could fracture the nation’s fabric and clash with Treaty commitments. Any real change would require legislative action, public approval, and judicial oversight.

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