Māori have until July 13 to switch electoral rolls. Photo / File
Māori have until July 13 to switch electoral rolls. Photo / File
Thousands of Māori have opted to move on to the Māori Electoral roll, but almost the same number of Māori have waka jumped back to the General roll.
Latest figures from the Electoral Commission show since 31 March to April 24, 2023, 9264 voters of Māori descent have changed rolls, enrolled for the first time, or updated their details.
Of that, 4762 people have changed roll types – 2,611 from the general roll to the Māori roll, and 2151 from the Māori roll to the general roll.
There have been 281 new enrolments on the Māori roll and 149 new enrolments on the general roll.
Another 4072 people haven’t changed rolls but have taken the opportunity to update their details on the electoral roll, for example, their address.
Māori have up to July 13 to make a decision to stay on the General or switch to the Māori roll.
Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.
Te Pāti Māori co leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said Māori must stand up and be heard if they are to have any chance of equity and equality.
“We must awaken our people that this change to the Electoral Act is what our tupuna fought for - a chance at equality in our own country,” Ngarewa-Packer said.
““We must use our collective power to bring back a rebalance of power in our nation, that has put up a lot of barriers.”
“This has to be us pushing back against the powers of racism. This is one of those opportunities and we must look at the bigger picture.
“This is one of the most momentous times for Māori to push back against deliberate predesigned discrimination to hold Māori back. It’s simple, switch votes text 2044.”
Electoral Commission chief electoral officer Karl Le Quesne said Māori who didn’t receive a Māori Electoral Option information pack in the mail should contact the commission urgently.
‘If you haven’t received a pack, it means we have an old address for you, or you’re not enrolled,’ says Le Quesne.
‘You can enrol, update your address, or change rolls if you would like to at vote.nz, or by filling in a new enrolment form. You can get an enrolment form by texting your name and address to 3676 or by calling 0800 36 76 56.
Chief electoral officer Karl Le Quesne. Photo / Supplied
“If you’re happy with the electoral roll you’re on, you don’t need to do anything. If you’d like to change the roll you are on, from the general roll to the Māori roll or the Māori roll to the general roll, you can do that now.
“We’re aware that there will be voters of Māori descent who have had to move recently due to weather events including Cyclone Gabrielle and they may not have received their packs.”
To help with that, in areas known to be worst affected, the commission will contact voters to ask if they have received a pack or need information on the Option. Voters whose packs have been returned will also be contacted if they have previously provided a phone number or email address.
Since 31 March, 9264 voters of Māori descent have changed rolls, enrolled for the first time, or updated their details.
