6. Question No. 6—JusticeHon PAUL GOLDSMITH (National) to the Minister of JusticeQuestion No. 6—Justice6. Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH (National) to the Minister of Justice: Is the Government committed to the principle of equal suffrage in New Zealand's electoral laws?Hon KRIS FAAFOI (Minister of Justice): Yes.Hon Paul Goldsmith: Does he believe every New Zealander of voting age should have an equal say in who governs them?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: The Government is committed to every New Zealander's right to participate in our democracy on a fair and equal basis.Hon Paul Goldsmith: Has he seen any advice on the Rotorua District Council (Representation Arrangements) Bill which seeks to deviate from the principle of equal voting rights and if so what actions if any has he taken?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I've obviously seen reports since the Attorney-General has tabled his opinion on the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act process that has been undertaken on that piece of legislation. The bill itself is a local bill; it is not a reflection of Government policy. I understand that the member in charge and the local government entity involved are taking a pause given the opinion expressed by the Attorney-General.Hon Paul Goldsmith: Does he agree with his Cabinet colleague the Hon Willie Jackson that The nature of [our] democracy has changed" and if so is a move away from equal voting rights part of the Government's intended direction of travel?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I reiterate that the Government is committed to every New Zealander having the right to participate in our democracy on a fair and equal basis. That particular piece of legislation as a local bill has been through a select committee process and has had a vet by the Attorney-General. That particular local body entity has taken a pause given the feedback given by the Attorney-General.Hon Paul Goldsmith: Is he not the Minister of Justice in a Government that voted for a bill that seeks to remove equal voting rights?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: Yes I am the Minister of Justice. We voted for the bill in order for it to have a select committee process. The Attorney-General has given his opinion as the Attorney-General does with every piece of legislation. There have been some concerns raised by the Attorney-General and it is up to the sponsor and the local body entity to deal with the challenges of that Attorney-General vet.SPEAKER: Question No.—Hon Paul Goldsmith: Supplementary. SPEAKER: Well I thought from all the noise that the member's colleagues didn't want another supplementary.Hon Paul Goldsmith: Does he agree with the Attorney-General that the bill discriminates against people not on the Māori roll and if so why was this not obvious to him when the bill had its first reading a few weeks ago?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: Can I say once more for the member the bill is a local bill brought forward by the Rotorua District Council and sponsored by a member of the House who was in charge of that. Every bill goes through the Attorney-General process. The Attorney-General has expressed some concerns which I believe that the entity responsible for the bill is addressing.Hon Chris Hipkins: Has there been a previous example where the Attorney-General has recommended against a change to voting rights with regard to a member's bill where the Government of the day has voted in favour of that such as when the voting rights from prisoners were removed?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I do recall that piece of legislation which passed under the last National Government. There are positive things that this Government is doing in order to make sure that there are commitments to equality and fairness within our electoral system. That's why we're undertaking a full review—an independent review—of our electoral system. We've also made some proposals to Opposition parties around some things—policy changes—which we'd like to do before the next election. I look forward to a response from the member.Rawiri Waititi: What is the Minister going to do about the racist legislation that locks Māori out for eight years from participating in the general elections every three years?Hon KRIS FAAFOI: I think the member is referring to issues around the Māori electoral option. I've had meetings with that member and also with Opposition members about making sure that that particular aspect of our electoral law is fairer for those who are on the Māori roll. Again I look forward to the Opposition coming back with an opinion on that proposal from the Government."