Let New Zealand decide on Māori seats

Referendum Now

History of Māori seats and representation

Four Māori seats were introduced in 1867 to ensure Māori representation because at the time New Zealand had a property-based voting system which prevented Māori (and women) from having fair representation.
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Over the decades, remarkable Māori leaders emerged. Figures such as Sir Āpirana Ngata, whose influence on national politics was profound; Sir James Carroll, one of the first Māori to hold ministerial office; and later trailblazers like Dame Whina Cooper and Whetū Tirikātene-Sullivan, who helped reshape the political landscape.
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For much of the 20th century, however, the number of Māori MPs grew only slowly, and was largely confined to the fixed Māori seats. The seats were ensuring representation, but not growing it.

When New Zealand adopted Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) representation in 1996, one of the arguments was that it would correct underrepresentation of minorities, including Māori, by making Parliament more reflective of the electorate as a whole.

And it did! MMP dramatically accelerated the growth in Māori representation, with Māori MPs elected across general electorates and party lists, serving in Cabinet, and leading major portfolios. Of the parties currently in Parliament, all but Labour have had a Māori leader. Today, Māori representation in Parliament currently exceeds population proportionality.

The original rationale for separate electorates, ensuring Māori a voice in Parliament, has been achieved. Representation has evolved, our democracy has matured, and so should our electoral system. The time has come for New Zealanders to reconsider whether race-based seats remain necessary.

We are calling for a Referendum Now

1860s – 1930s

Early MPs such as Hōne Heke Ngāpua and Frederick Nene Russell used Parliament as a platform to press for land rights, political recognition, and Māori self-determination during a period of rapid change and dispossession.

In the early 20th century, the emergence of the Young Māori Party, including leaders like Taurekareka Henare, signalled a new generation committed to social reform, public health, and educational advancement.





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1940s – 1970s

Iriaka Rātana made history in 1949 as the first Māori woman elected to Parliament, representing Western Māori. Whetū Tirikātene-Sullivan carried that legacy forward, becoming one of New Zealand’s longest-serving MPs and the first Māori woman appointed to Cabinet.

By the late 1970s, with Winston Peters entering Parliament through a general electorate, Māori representation was no longer confined to the dedicated Māori seats alone signalling an increasingly integrated and influential Māori role across the broader political system.



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1980s – 2000s

The rise of Alliance Party reflected a broader realignment of Māori political energy. In the 1990s, figures like Donna Awatere Huata emerged within ACT, demonstrating that Māori political identity was never ideologically uniform.

The Foreshore and Seabed Act in 2004 triggered Tariana Turia to resign from Labour and founded the Māori Party with Pita Sharples.

In 2008, the Māori Party entered into agreements with the National Party becoming part of the government, demonstrating both the strategic flexibility enabled by MMP and the growing cross-party influence of Māori within a proportional Parliament.

2010s – Today

The Māori Party continued its governing arrangement with the New Zealand National Party until 2017. Māori MPs like Simon Bridges, Peeni Henare, Marama Davidson, David Seymour, Nanaia Mahuta, Willie Jackson, rose to senior roles in their parties.

The Māori Party remerged as a more activist Te Pāti Māori under the presidency of John Tamihere. NZ First returned to Parliament led by a trio of Māori MPs; Winston Peters, Shane Jones, and Casey Costello.

The current Cabinet has a record number of Māori Ministers and Parliament representation is at its highest too.

Tell the Government to put Māori seats to
a binding referendum this election.

© Hobson’s Pledge 2026