July 2010 Report 8 2058 Effective Māori Representation in Parliament Working towards a National Sustainable Development Strategy Project 2058: Report 8 July 2010 Project 2058, Report name Effective Mäori Representation in Parliament: Working towards a National Sustainable Development Strategy Published First published by the Sustainable Future Institute Ltd, June 2010 © McGuinness Institute Limited, 2014 ISBN 978-1-972193-27-3 (paperback) ISBN 978-1-972193-28-0 (PDF) This document is available at www.mcguinnessinstitute.org and may be reproduced or cited provided the source is acknowledged. Prepared by The Sustainable Future Institute, as part of Project 2058 Reissued by the McGuinness Institute 2014 Author Wendy McGuinness In addition to the report’s Miriam White and Perrine Gilkison, with assistance from Lisa Bazalo and main author, the research Nicola Bradshaw team included About the Institute The McGuinness Institute (formerly the Sustainable Future Institute) is an independently funded non-partisan think tank. The main work programme of the Institute is Project 2058. The strategic aim of this project is to promote integrated long-term thinking, leadership and capacity-building so that New Zealand can effectively seek and create opportunities and explore and manage risks over the next 50 years. It is hoped that Project 2058 will help develop dialogue among government ministers, policy analysts and members of the public about alternative strategies for the future of New Zealand. For further information The McGuinness Institute Phone (04) 499 8888 Level 2, 5 Cable Street PO Box 24222 Wellington 6142 New Zealand www.mcguinnessinstitute.org Disclaimer The McGuinness Institute has used reasonable care in collecting and presenting the information provided in this publication. However, the Institute makes no representation or endorsement that this resource will be relevant or appropriate for its readers’ purposes and does not guarantee the accuracy of the information at any particular time for any particular purpose. The Institute is not liable for any adverse consequences, whether they be direct or indirect, arising from reliance on the content of this publication. Where this publication contains links to any website or other source, such links are provided solely for information purposes and the Institute is not liable for the content of such website or other source. Publishing This publication has been produced by companies applying sustainable practices within their businesses. The body text is printed on ECO100 paper, manufactured from 100% waste paper in a chlorine-free process. The cover is printed on Mondi Color Copy, which is FSC certified. The McGuinness Institute is grateful for the work of Creative Commons which inspired our approach to copyright. This work is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivatives 3.0 New Zealand Licence. To view a copy of this licence visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/nz Preface __________________________________________________________________________1 Executive Summary _______________________________________________________________2 1. Purpose _________________________________________________________________________5 1.1 Project 2058 ______________________________________________________________________6 1.2 The McGuinness Institute ___________________________________________________________6 2. Methodology _____________________________________________________________________7 2.1 Objectives ________________________________________________________________________7 2.2 Position Statement _________________________________________________________________7 2.3 Method __________________________________________________________________________8 2.4 Terminology and Key Concepts _____________________________________________________ 10 2.5 Limitations and Boundaries _________________________________________________________ 15 3. The Past: 1835–2008 ______________________________________________________________17 3.1 The Declaration of Independence, 1835 _______________________________________________ 17 3.2 Te Tiriti o Waitangi, 1840 __________________________________________________________ 17 3.3 The Establishment of New Zealand’s First System of Representative Government, 1840–1858 __ 17 3.4 The Establishment of the Mäori Electorate Seats, 1858–1890s _____________________________ 18 3.5 The Neglected Era, 1900s–1986 ______________________________________________________ 19 3.6 The Royal Commission on the Electoral System, 1986 __________________________________ 20 3.7 The Introduction of MMP, 1993 _____________________________________________________ 22 3.8 Inquiry into the Review of MMP, 2001 _______________________________________________ 24 3.9 Setting the Context _______________________________________________________________ 24 4. The Present: 2008–2010 ___________________________________________________________25 4.1 Population Growth _______________________________________________________________ 25 4.2 The Overall Election Results, 2008 ___________________________________________________ 26 4.3 The Mäori-electorate Election Results, 2008 ___________________________________________ 27 4.4 Nine Outstanding Questions _______________________________________________________ 27 5. Question 1: Can we, the people of New Zealand, have confidence that all MPs act in the best interests of all New Zealanders? __________________________________29 5.1 Exploring the Question ____________________________________________________________ 29 5.2 Opinion ________________________________________________________________________ 30 6. Question 2: Internationally, what mechanisms are used to improve representation of selected groups in society? _________________________________________31 6.1 Exploring the Question ____________________________________________________________ 31 6.2 Opinion ________________________________________________________________________ 32 7. Question 3: How is the quality of Mäori representation currently tested? ________________33 7.1 Exploring the Question ____________________________________________________________ 33 7.2 Opinion ________________________________________________________________________ 36 8. Question 4: How does Mäori representation compare with that of Pacific and Asian people in New Zealand? _________________________________________________39 8.1 Exploring the Question ____________________________________________________________ 39 8.2 Opinion ________________________________________________________________________ 39 9. Question 5: Are Mäori electorate seat calculations, enrolment and turnout optimal? ______40 9.1 Exploring the Question ____________________________________________________________ 40 9.2 Opinion ________________________________________________________________________ 47 10. Question 6: What impact did the 2008 Mäori roll election results have on parliamentary representation? _____________________________________________________49 10.1 Exploring the Question ____________________________________________________________ 49 10.2 Opinion ________________________________________________________________________ 54 11. Question 7: Are the Mäori electorate seats effective? __________________________________57 11.1 Exploring the Question ____________________________________________________________ 57 11.2 Opinion ________________________________________________________________________ 61 12. Question 8: If the 1986 Royal Commission’s proposal had been fully implemented, would Mäori representation be more effective today? _____________________65 12.1 Exploring the Question ____________________________________________________________ 65 12.2 Opinion ________________________________________________________________________ 65 13. Question 9: What are the relationships between separate parliamentary representation, te Tiriti and the constitution? ________________________________________69 13.1 Exploring the Question ____________________________________________________________ 69 13.2 Opinion ________________________________________________________________________ 72 14. The Future: 2010 to 2058 _________________________________________________________74 14.1 Nine Significant Events ____________________________________________________________ 74 14.2 Three Possible Future Directions for Parliamentary Representation ________________________ 77 14.3 Implications for the Future _________________________________________________________ 80 15. An Optimal System of Representation that Provides a Firm Foundation for New Zealand _________________________________________________________________81 15.1 The Institute’s Proposed Alternative Parliamentary Representation System _________________ 81 15.2 Proposed Work Programme ________________________________________________________ 86 15.3 Working Towards a National Sustainable Development Strategy __________________________ 91 Glossary ________________________________________________________________________93 Appendices _____________________________________________________________________96 References _____________________________________________________________________105 Table 1 Political Parties Holding Mäori Electorate Seats, 1996–2008 27 Table 2 Models of Separate Representation 32 Table 3 Parliamentary Representation of Mäori, Pacific and Asian peoples in New Zealand 39 Table 4 Electoral Population, Enrolment and Turnout – Comparing Rolls 41 Table 5 Four Measures