Well Passed the Use-by Date

Maori Inferiority

It is becoming more evident with the passing of time that the Maori electoral seats in New Zealand are an anachronism.  For the benefit of our non-Kiwi readers, four Maori electorates were created by the Maori Representative Act, 1867.  This guaranteed representation of the indigenous people in the New Zealand Parliament. 

But that guarantee is now redundant.  The parliament has published an excellent account of the origins, intent, and subsequent history of the Maori seats.  Political developments and constitutional changes over the last thirty years have significantly attenuated the rationale for Maori seats.    They are looking more and more like a vestigial organ.

In conclusion, it is somewhat ironic that the original intent in creating the Māori electorates – an emphasis on a temporary franchise – is almost the one remaining vestige of that intent today. The century-old-electoral guarantee of Māori representatives being elected in Māori seats ceased in 1967. The fixed number of seats that was designed to preserve geographic proportionality was modified in 1993 to reflect proportionality in population. Most, but not all, of the disparities between the electoral systems have been removed. Casting a party vote under MMP [Mixed-Member Proportional Representation] has eliminated the separation many still perceive exists between New Zealand electors on the general roll and those on the Māori roll. Finally, since the number of Māori electorates now depends on those identifying as Māori to continue to choose to enrol on the Māori roll, the Māori electorates are, in one sense, once again temporary features of New Zealand’s electoral system.

The abiding problem is the implicit paternalism reflected in race denominated electoral seats.  The undeniable implication is that Maori cannot "make it" in the political realm without a "helping hand".  It is apparent that other Pacific island peoples (Tongan, Samoan, Fijian, etc.) don't need this crutch.  Nor do Chinese or Korean or UK immigrants, or other ethnicities. 

In reality, nor do Maori.  The (centrist, soft-left) National Party has been having a merry old time selecting Maori candidates in winnable or strong-National electoral seats. According to Kiwiblog:

National has had two hotly contested selections this weekend for National held seats. Shane Reti won Whangarei and Wayne Walford won Napier. As it happens they are both Maori. No quotas involved. No racial equivalent of a man ban. No head office deciding. All decisions made by 60+ local members and delegates.  National already has nine Maori MPs. They may have 11 after the election. And unlike some other parties, they select Maori MPs in winnable general seats such as Waitakere, Tauranga, Northland, Botany and also now Whangarei and Napier.

So, in the matter of Maori political representation a valid question ineluctably congeals just below the surface: is Maori inferiority in our national representative assembly a permanent or temporary reality?  The reactionaries are arguing for permanent Maori inferiority requiring positive discrimination.  Meanwhile some political parties and Maori MP's are demonstrating that Maori electoral seats are well passed their use-by date.  They are proving that Maori inferiority is an anachronistic myth.  All power to them.