Māori Party requests recount in two electorates claiming discrimination
The Māori Party will seek recounts in two electorates – Tamaki Makaurau and Te Tai Haurauru – to highlight the discriminatory and bias nature of the election process towards Māori.
Māori Party President Che Wilson said the party had no dispute with the final numbers.
“But we do have issues with the way our whānau are treated at polling booths and we need to demonstrate that Māori are prejudiced in trying to vote, unlike other New Zealanders” Wilson said.
“Whānau said some were refused their right to vote on the Māori roll. When they pushed back, they then had to wait in ques to cast special votes. Some of them just left. Others were given Pakeha rolls to vote on.”
Polling one per cent on election night and with Rawiri Waititi winning Waiariki, the late surge of Special Votes resulted in Māori Party Co-Leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer also becoming an MP.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is not a fan of coat-tailing – where an electorate seat and a lower threshold is reached.
“Bringing in other members on a lower threshold doesn’t really hold with me,” she said.
But Wilson said the odds are continually stacked against Māori. The 5% threshold was unreachable for any indigenous party. It must be at least halved in Māori electorate seats.
“Now that we have representation back in the house, the Māori Party agenda has not changed fromthe policies we released during the election campaign,” Wilson said.
“Māori are put on the Pakeha roll and can only opt on to the Māori roll every five years – meaning itcan’t happen for two elections. That’s discrimination.
“We will be looking for consensus and support from all parties across parliament.”
The recount applications were filed today with the electoral commission. A District Court judge will oversee the process and start a recount within 3 days of receiving the application. The judge will advise all affected parties when and where the recount will take place.
“This recount highlights the injustice the present system has for Māori,” Wilson said.
No it doesn’t.
It highlights the special privileges that Māori demand. Especially this bit:
Attack from the right Draco T Bastard, dude I thought you were supposed to be on the left. Your comment highlights what Malcolm X said about liberals.
The reality is you have twisted this to make yourself feel better at the expense of those who could not vote. And again a bleating defender of a system which has major issues.
“Māori Party President Che Wilson said the party had no dispute with the final numbers.” So, their attitude is let’s just waste taxpayers money, again.
“Whānau said some were refused their right to vote on the Māori roll. When they pushed back, they then had to wait in ques to cast special votes. Some of them just left. Others were given Pakeha rolls to vote on.” I worked for the electoral office in a polling booth some years ago. It was noted that some Maori would come in to vote on the Maori electorate roll & then turn up again a while later to cast special votes in the general electorate.
“This recount highlights the injustice the present system has for Māori,” Wilson said. Fine, do away with the racists seperatism of the Maori electorates & roll & stick to one person/one vote across the country. Stop the snivelling whining entitlement.
RobbieWgtn: “It was noted that some Maori would come in to vote on the Maori electorate roll & then turn up again a while later to cast special votes in the general electorate.”
Are you saying that some people cast two votes, one in a Maori electorate and one in a general electorate? Surely that’s illegal: the system is designed to prevent that, as I understand the situation. Such people would have been prevented from voting twice, wouldn’t they?
“….do away with the racists seperatism of the Maori electorates & roll….”
I agree. The only aspect of NZ’s legal system that is unequivocally racist is the Maori electoral system.
It’s just a recount, it wont show they they hope it will, so although the Mp say they they dont dispute the number they actually do.
The problem with a lot of the electoral staff is they don’t know enough. When I went to vote a lady there put a circle around the box saying S meaning special vote. But I piped up and said ‘no I’m on the Maori roll and have been for 30 years and I am not a special vote’. I told the electoral workers there, I want to know the outcome of my vote straight away and not have to wait for 2 weeks for the special results, another lady apologised and said I was right and sorted it. Also I called the electoral commission place to ask them a question about the ballot paper layout and this man with a foreign voice, he did not know what he was talking about. So for starters they need to employ and train the right people. The only one Maori worker they had at this polling booth I went to was directing the cars in the school carpark not good enough.
I called the electoral commission place to ask them a question about the ballot paper layout and this man with a foreign voice, he did not know what he was talking about.
That happened to me too (mine about postal voting). Communication was so difficult that I gave up trying to sort it out. I wondered if they had outsourced this to some overseas company.
The numbers will be right but what about those that were put of voting for some it doesn’t take much to walk
away. But it shouldn’t be happening.
covid is pa: “…..what about those that were put of voting for some it doesn’t take much to walk
away. But it shouldn’t be happening.”
So: explain to us how you think a recount in electorates where the final numbers aren’t in dispute will do anything to help solve this problem.
Voting is one of the easiest things anyone can do. It’s much less complicated now to get enrolled and to vote than it ever was in the past. No excuses.