The time has come for a decision on the future of the Māori seats.
It has been said many times but is a vitally undeniable fact - the Royal Commission into the electoral system in 1986 stated that with the implementation of MMP it would create a more representative Parliament and the original justification for separate Māori seats would no longer exist. This point cannot be ignored.
The Māori Party's behaviour over the past two years has been the last straw. They hold the majority of the Māori seats and do not turn up to parliament, disregard the rules and processes, and show utter distain for the system that gives them the very seats they hold - they represent no one. They have proven the seats they hold are no longer relevant nor serve their original purpose.
We have just had a referendum on Local Māori Wards, and with the current Māori seat-holders showing how much of a mess they are in, it has proven that the time has come for the public to decide if they are effective, relevant, and if they are still needed.
If the Māori seats have enough people who support them then they could be retained.
But the fact is, we currently have a record number of Māori in parliament and in Cabinet, with twenty-seven percent of the House having a Māori background - far higher than the often claimed seventeen percent of the country's Māori population.
Additionally, the number of Māori enrolled on the Māori roll has itself steadily decreased in recent years. It currently sits at only half of all Māori who are enrolled on the separate roll.
Between 1854 and 1978 there were only four Māori who held a general seat. But since the introduction of MMP that number has massively increased to now be an over-representation.
The arguments for a separate franchise based on race have become irrelevant.
New Zealand First has previously campaigned on this issue, and we believe we have an opportunity now to ensure this policy is implemented after the next election.
