“We can vote only where we live, not in our tribal homelands,” writes Mike Smith about the systemic barriers to fair voting for Māori.

There’s one week remaining to cast a vote in the local body elections. But as communities choose their decision-makers, it’s worth remembering there is systemic racism embedded in the process that denies Māori rightful voting representation, writes Mike Smith.

Local body elections are meant to give people a voice in shaping decisions about their environment, services, and communities. But for Māori, these elections often come with unfair rules that silence our voices.

Two major barriers are especially damaging: the limits on voting rights for owners of Māori land in multiple ownership, and the rule that only people living inside council boundaries can vote.

Together, these rules strip Māori of fair representation in the places that matter most to us.

Māori with land in multiple ownership

Much of today’s Māori land is held in multiple ownership, with dozens, hundreds or even thousands of shareholders per block. Every shareholder has a legal and ancestral connection to the land. Yet under current electoral law, only one Māori shareholder per block is allowed to cast a vote in local elections.

This denies most Māori landowners their rightful say, even though we carry whakapapa ties and responsibilities as kaitiaki. Instead of reflecting collective ownership, the law reduces multiple Māori voices to a single token representative, effectively silencing entire whānau and hapū.

When land is leased

The problem gets worse when Māori land is leased to non-Māori. In many cases, voting rights linked to the land pass to the lessee — often a farmer or tenant with no whakapapa connection.

This means, firstly, that Māori are dispossessed, because our voices in local decision-making are taken away.

And, secondly, that outsiders are empowered, because non-Māori lessees gain more influence over local decisions than the actual owners.

This flips mana whenua on its head.

Instead of strengthening Māori rangatiratanga, the system privileges outsiders and entrenches inequality.

The residential rule

Another barrier comes from the rule that only people living inside a council’s boundaries can vote there. At first glance this looks fair, but for Māori it creates deep injustice.

Many Māori live in towns and cities far from our rohe, often to secure work, housing, or education. We can vote only where we live, not in our tribal homelands.

Yet for Māori, the strongest interest isn’t usually in the suburb where we rent or own a house — it’s in the rohe of our awa, marae, whenua, and the decisions made there that most deeply affect us. Yet the system locks us out of voting where those decisions are made.

Meanwhile, non-Māori residents in those rohe — even those with no ancestral ties — get to vote and decide what happens. This means Māori end up with little voice in our own lands, while outsiders control outcomes.

Why this matters

Local government decisions shape land use, water management, zoning, rates, environmental protections, and community services. These decisions have a direct impact on Māori whenua and taonga. When Māori are excluded, we cannot safeguard our interests, our responsibilities as kaitiaki, or ensure tikanga and Te Tiriti principles are honoured.

Pathways to change

Fixing this injustice means reforming electoral law so Māori voices are no longer marginalised.

This should include:

• Recognising collective ownership of Māori land and ensuring all shareholders have voting rights.
• Preventing lessees from exercising voting power over Māori land.
• Allowing Māori to vote in our rohe based on whakapapa and iwi/hapū ties, not just where we live.
• Embedding Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles in local election law to guarantee Māori partnership and participation.

The current voting rules — limiting Māori landowners of multiple-owned land and forcing residential boundaries on Māori voters — are systemic forms of discrimination. They dispossess Māori of our political voice, while privileging outsiders with no whakapapa ties.

I encourage the Māori Party to lead a cross party process of reform.

Ensuring fair representation for Māori landowners and iwi members is not only a matter of justice. It is essential for upholding Te Tiriti, restoring mana to Māori voices, and creating a democracy that truly serves all communities.

Mike Smith in Whangaroa, Northland (Photo supplied)

Michael Smith (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu) is a climate change activist, a father, grandfather, and an uncle to many as a kaumātua from Te Tai Tokerau. He has more than 30 years’ experience in climate education and strategic organisation and action in Aotearoa and internationally. Mike co-chairs the Pou Take Āhuarangi, the climate directorate of the National Iwi Chairs Forum, which provides strategic leadership on climate priorities for te ao Māori.

E-Tangata, 2025