Last month, National passed a racist law requiring local councils to remove their Māori wards, or hold a referendum on them at the 2025 local body election. The government was clearly hoping that, despite all their prior opposition, local authorities would bow down, obey, and vote to disenfranchise Māori. But instead the opposite has occured. I've been tracking this out of curiosity, and so far 24 councils have voted to retain their wards, and only two have voted to remove them. Twenty councils are still undecided, so already a majority of councils have rejected National's racist policy. A surprising number of councils have also voted to explore the option of just ignoring the law, and not having a referendum, which says something about the depth of opposition.
Its also worth noting that its not big cities voting to retain - Wellington, Hamilton, Tauranga and Porirua are yet to formally decide on the issue. Instead, the opposition is from provincial and rural councils - National's base. In Palmerston North, the mayor and all National councillors opposed the government. In the Manawatū-Whanganui Regional Council, the most vocal opponent was Jono Naylor, a former National MP. And the reason for this is simple: like the Māori seats, Māori wards work, and once they exist, everyone can see it. Which is I suspect what racist National was afraid of.
So now it looks like the 2025 local body elections are shaping up to be a nationwide referendum on this racist government. And while we can't vote them out directly, we could send a useful message which might change their direction and shape the narrative for the 2026 election. So next year, more than ever, you should pay attention to that local body elections envelope which shows up in your mailbox - and vote "fuck you" to the government.
