Indigenous Representation in New Zealand’s PR Electoral System

Indigenous Representation in New Zealand’s PR Electoral System

National Indigenous People’s Day is June 21st and with it comes an opportunity to explore how Inuit, Mé​tis and First Nations people might be represented politically under Proportional Representation. A country that showcases a potential option is New Zealand which uses Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) while also reserving seven seats for representatives of the indigenous Māori people.

Māori seats were first created by the Māori Representation Act of 1867 which set aside an initial four seats to guarantee the indigenous community’s voice in New Zealand’s Parliament under First Past the Post. The four seats were a very minor concession with full-blooded Māori limited to participating via the Māori electoral list while only Māori with mixed parentage were allowed to choose whether they voted in European electorates or Māori electorates up until 1975.

Throughout the 20th century there was much public discussion about whether New Zealand still needed separate seats for Māori, and in 1985 a Royal Commission on the Electoral System concluded “separate seats had not helped Māori and that they would achieve better representation through a proportional party-list system”. The Commission recommended that if a mixed-member proportional (MMP) system was adopted, the Māori seats should be abolished.

When New Zealand adopted Mixed-Member Proportional (MMP) in 1996, the majority of Māori preferred to retain their dedicated seats. As a result, the number of these seats now fluctuates based on the population numbers in the Māori electoral option. However, whether a voter is enrolled in the Māori or general electoral list ultimately has no effect on the share of seats provided by the “party vote” portion of MMP today, effectively resulting in one electoral list for all New Zealand voters in terms of the party vote.

Here in Canada, Indigenous representation is not a new idea, with individuals such as Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, Squamish councillor Khelsilem Tl’aḵwasiḵ̓an Sxwchálten, and Green Party MLA Adam Olsen from the Tsartlip First Nation, all arguing in favour of making the change to a proportional system.

“I think it would be welcome from an Indigenous perspective simply because the power base is broken up. Power is more broadly spread across the political spectrum [under a proportional system], which for minority groups is more advantageous,” Olsen said, noting that Indigenous people are currently a minority in the province.

New Zealand’s experience demonstrates that adopting Proportional Representation, with or without dedicated Indigenous seats, is crucial for ensuring Indigenous peoples in Canada have the representation needed to advance their communities’ interests. As Canada strives for a more democratic electoral system, our leaders should take inspiration from this small Pacific island nation.


Pushing for real solutions to our toxic politics

The last few years have seen a steady stream of editorials and opinion pieces lamenting the rise of toxic politics and polarization, but the solutions being offered are limited to variations of calling on our leaders to pull up their socks and do better. MPs are not a bunch of naughty children who will respond to a lecture on the moral virtues of self-control. In fact, they’re responding to a powerful system of political incentives. The system itself is what needs to change.

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Congratulations Christopher Mohan on Joining FVC’s Board of Directors!

We’re excited to announce that Christopher Mohan, one of our dedicated Fair Vote Toronto volunteers, has been elected to Fair Vote Canada’s National Board of Directors! Since joining us in 2022, Christopher has been a valuable member of our team, assisting with flyering before elections, canvassing door-to-door for Motion M-86, and tabling at union conventions.

At 23, Christopher is a recent university graduate with a strong passion for engaging more youth in the electoral reform movement. In his new role on FVC’s Board, he aims to build connections with youth organizations to amplify the urgent call for electoral reform.

Christopher brings valuable experience to the Board, including financial oversight, chairing meetings, public speaking, and media relations. With his skills in relationship-building and mediation, we’re confident he will be a valuable addition to the board!


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Did You Know?

Fair Vote Toronto volunteers were recently at the CUPE Ontario convention where almost 200 people signed our Declaration of Voters Rights in support of proportional representation!

If you know of an event or convention coming up at which you think Fair Vote Toronto should have a table, please let us know!