Electoral Commission Failure Disenfranchises Māori Voters in Whanganui
Te Pāti Māori is calling out the Electoral Commission and Whanganui District Council for a major failure that has once again undermined Māori democracy.
The official candidate profile booklet sent to voters in Whanganui has excluded every single Māori Ward candidate profile. This comes after earlier failures where Māori were wrongly removed from the Electoral Roll.
“These so-called mistakes are not small. They go to the heart of whether Māori voters can meaningfully participate in democracy. The Commission has dropped the ball, and it must be fixed now” said MP for Te Tai Hauaūru and Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.
Te Pāti Māori demands:
1. Immediate corrective action every Māori elector must be provided with correct, accessible, and visible candidate information.
2. Public accountability the Electoral Commission and Whanganui District Council must front up and explain why Māori continue to bear the brunt of repeated electoral failures.
3. A full independent investigation to ensure these failures are not swept aside as “errors” and to guarantee they will not happen again.
“This is systemic disenfranchisement. Māori are being denied a fair process in our own rohe. Enough is enough. The integrity of these elections is in question unless there is immediate redress” Ngarewa-Packer said.
Te Pāti Māori stands firmly with the Whanganui Māori Ward candidates and stands with all whānau demanding fairness and accountability.
