Three weeks after an electoral reform bill from Green MP Golriz Ghahraman was drawn, Rawiri Waititi struck it lucky with his bill yesterday, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in The Bulletin.
Te Pāti Māori electoral amendment bill drawn
Rawiri Waititi’s member’s bill, the Electoral (Right to Switch Rolls Freely) Amendment Bill was drawn from the tin yesterday. The bill will allow Māori to change between the Māori and general electoral rolls at any time. Currently switching rolls can be done during a four-month window every five or six years. Te Pāti Māori say support for the legislation is a bottom line for working with any coalition partner heading into the next election. Golriz Ghahraman’s Electoral Strengthening Democracy Amendment Bill was drawn in May. It also proposes enabling Māori to switch electoral roles at any time.
Government making same proposal
Te Pāti Māori’s bottom line won’t be an impediment to working with Labour. Waititi’s bill was drawn on the same day as justice minister Kris Faafoi announced a proposal to make it easier for Māori to change whether they vote for candidates in Māori or general electorate seats. The work is part of Labour’s 2020 election promise to ensure our electoral laws are fit for purpose. “I’ll point out that we have three justice select committees spanning this government, the previous government, and the government before that have said it’s the right thing to do. Its time has come” said Faafoi.
Change requires support from National party
This change, which will be introduced to the house via a bill in the coming weeks, requires support from 75% of parliament meaning the National party needs to support it. The party’s justice spokesperson Paul Goldsmith said they wouldn’t support the proposal in its current form as it could be gamed. Goldsmith said people could switch rolls in a by-election or at the general election to vote in marginal seats. They are suggesting excluding roll switching three to four months before general and local government elections.
What are the chances!
“I am ecstatic! I mean, what are the chances to have one bill from a party of two being drawn out of 64 others” said Waititi. I mean, what are the chances of two bills around electoral reform being drawn from the biscuit tin while the government is also conducting an electoral reform review! Absolutely no suggestion of conspiracy here. The biscuit tin is beyond reproach, it was bought from the once-great DEKA, but perhaps this rare occurrence does suggest it’s time for some proper debate about improving democracy. For what’s worth, I would genuinely love someone to look at whether bills containing such similar proposals have been drawn in such a short space of time before.