Katene Rahui: Electoral Referendum Bill — Third Reading 
Katene Rahui: Electoral Referendum Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:669;Page:16473] 
RAHUI KATENE (Maori Party—Te Tai Tonga) 
: 
 I am pleased to stand today and speak in the third reading debate on the Electoral Referendum Bill. I state from the outset that the Maori Party does not consider referenda to be an effective form of gauging Maori views. There is a huge body of evidence about the tyranny of the majority which I merely point to as being inconsistent with the partnership envisaged in Te Tiriti o Waitangi. 
We cannot separate out the issue of participation in referenda from the wider analysis of Maori representation in the political process. The Maori Party believes that Maori should be fairly and effectively represented in Parliament in a way that reflects their place as the Treaty partner. The voting system should contribute towards the same. We have considerably more confidence in the capacity of MMP to do that than any other forms of voting systems including first past the post—especially first past the post. 
In a report prepared for the Electoral Commission in May 2007 it was noted that the introduction of the proportional representation - based mixed member proportional electoral system has brought about increased participation by Maori in the political system and increased competition for the Maori vote. We welcome that increased hunger for political representation as a sign of a healthy democracy. 
Recently I was privileged to represent the New Zealand Parliament at a conference organised by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the United Nations Development Programme on parliaments indigenous peoples and minorities and effective participation in politics. That was a very interesting conference which as I say I was privileged to participate in. The interesting thing for me was that before I went while I was preparing for my speech there I had some research done by the library that pointed out the proportions that make up in the New Zealand Parliament. 
If we look at the proportion of ethnicities here in this Parliament against the proportion of ethnicities in the wider population we see that it is practically percent for percent. Of course recently we had the addition of a Pacific Islander and the resignation of an Asian MP. But regardless of that our New Zealand Parliament is very much made up of ethnicities that represent ethnicities here in New Zealand very well. 
Our overwhelming interest in this legislation has been to ascertain whether it will ensure that our elections are fair and reflect adherence to our foundations in Te Tiriti o Waitangi. In keeping with the special constitutional status of Maori our preference has been that a robust and comprehensive process of public dialogue be entered into with Maori to canvass areas of detail such as dual candidacy closed party lists party thresholds overhang and other such matters. 
We note that in terms of the 2008 relationship and confidence and supply agreement between the National Party and Maori Party both parties agreed that there will not be a question about the future of the Maori seats in the referendum on MMP planned by the National Party. 
Finally we see a relationship between this Electoral Referendum Bill and the very important context developing as a result of the constitutional review. I am greatly looking forward to being closely involved with this project which I see as a vital opportunity for engagement on some key aspects of our society: the nature of electoral participation the foundation of our constitution and the procedures and conventions that are unique to this land. 
In many ways I think this review will help to deliver on the expectation from the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in its November 2005 report. That report recommended that a special rapporteur be directed to visit Aotearoa and report back on the relationship between Maori and the Crown. One of the key recommendations from that visit was to endorse an earlier recommendation from the Waitangi Tribunal calling for a longer conversation with Maori. We welcome the constitutional review and indeed the electoral referendum process as all part of the context of building that longer conversation. 
Finally I acknowledge the significance of the working group on constitutional transformation which has been brought about by Professor Margaret Mutu and Moana Jackson to engage with Maori and to work on developing a model constitution for our country. All of these developments are very positive and we see them as more signs of a maturing nation. We are pleased to support this third reading of the Electoral Referendum Bill. 
Bill read a third time.