took to the 2017 election<\/a>.<\/p>\nOn Thursday, NZ First leader Winston Peters referenced the Royal Commission into the electoral system in 1986, which stated the MMP system would create a more representative Parliament and the original justification for the M\u0101ori seats would no longer exist.<\/p>\n
He also said there’d been a dramatic increase in the number of M\u0101ori in Parliament.<\/p>\n
“We’re massively over represented. Now please take the advantage that you’ve got, be pleased about that and move on.”<\/p>\n
He called Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori’s behaviour over the past two years the “last straw.”<\/p>\n
“They hold the majority of the M\u0101ori seats and do not turn up to parliament, disregard the rules and processes, and show utter disdain for the system that gives them the very seats they hold – they represent no one.<\/p>\n
“They have proven the seats they hold are no longer relevant nor serve their original purpose.”<\/p>\n
He referenced outgoing Labour MP Peeni Henare’s losses in the T\u0101maki Makaurau seat recently, saying he was “robbed blind” and there was “nothing to defend” in regards to the seats.<\/p>\n
Peters said a referendum was necessary because that was how MMP was introduced in the first place.<\/p>\n
“I’m saying to people in this country, if you want a dramatic, unified electoral system, vote for it,” he said.<\/p>\n
Peters rejected it could be a breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi “because it wasn’t in there in the first place.”<\/p>\n
He said everything he had done for M\u0101ori was on the basis of need not race.<\/p>\n
Asked how quickly a referendum would take place after this year’s election, Peters indicated he wouldn’t want the M\u0101ori seats during the 2029 election.<\/p>\n
Politicians react<\/p>\n
![\"Rawiri](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/4JU5AD9_PM_Statement_2026_13_jpg.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
\nTe P\u0101ti M\u0101ori co-leader Rawiri Waititi accused NZ First of “race baiting”. (File photo)
\nPhoto: VNP \/ Phil Smith\n<\/p>\n
Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori co-leader Rawiri Waititi said it was “race baiting” and “rage baiting” to suit New Zealand First voters.<\/p>\n
“The types that Winston Peters represents is a dying cohort of people in Aotearoa.<\/p>\n
“I would hope that New Zealand is mature enough to see the value in the M\u0101ori seats sitting here in Parliament.”<\/p>\n
He said the timing of the announcement showed Peters was “threatened” by the fact it would be the M\u0101ori electorates that decide the next Prime Minister.<\/p>\n
“He likes to sit in that position as the king maker, but unfortunately, every poll is saying that he is no longer in that position.<\/p>\n
“This country should be celebrating the maturity of te iwi M\u0101ori in this democracy.”<\/p>\n
On representation in Parliament, Waititi said the M\u0101ori seats allowed for a “unique M\u0101ori voice in Parliament.”<\/p>\n
“Quite often we’ve had M\u0101ori in those M\u0101ori seats without being tied to party lines.<\/p>\n
“What this allows us is a unique opportunity for M\u0101ori to have an independent voice in Parliament.”<\/p>\n
Waititi suggested there should be a referendum on list seats, because it wasn’t clear who they represented, “they don’t have a mandate from constituents.”<\/p>\n
“The M\u0101ori seats are clear. They have a clear mandate.”<\/p>\n
Labour’s Kieran McAnulty said Peters was quite happy with M\u0101ori seats when he stood for one in 1975, and when New Zealand First won them all in the 90s.<\/p>\n
“But now he wants to pretend to New Zealanders that they don’t like them and want to get rid of them. I don’t think Kiwis will buy it.”<\/p>\n
Labour’s position was that M\u0101ori should decide whether to keep the seats or not, and “that position will remain firm.”<\/p>\n
“It’s a cheap and cynical attempt to try and get some cheap votes,” McAnulty said.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said a referendum on M\u0101ori seats wasn’t something the National party had discussed.<\/p>\n
“What we’re really focused on is fixing the basics and building the future at the moment.”<\/p>\n
He acknowledged the seats had been a feature of the political system for some time.<\/p>\n
National deputy leader Nicola Willis said National planned to run candidates in the M\u0101ori seats this election, but no one had been selected yet.<\/p>\n
In terms of a referendum, she said the policy would need to be taken to caucus for discussion.<\/p>\n
ACT’s deputy leader Brooke van Velden said ACT wouldn’t take it to referendum, it would get rid of the seats through Parliament.<\/p>\n
“It’s been an ACT party position – and a longstanding position – that we should abolish the M\u0101ori seats, because it goes against what the ACT party philosophy is, which is that there should be all people equal before the law and that it’s wrong to have separate seats based on people’s ethnicity.”<\/p>\n
Sign up for Ng\u0101 Pitopito K\u014drero, a daily newsletter<\/a> curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New Zealand First leader Winston Peters speaking at Waitangi Treaty Grounds last week. (File photo) Photo: RNZ \/…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":280516,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[48,47,111,43,139,69,49,46,44,45],"class_list":{"0":"post-280515","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-zealand","8":"tag-audio","9":"tag-current-affairs","10":"tag-new-zealand","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-newzealand","13":"tag-nz","14":"tag-podcasts","15":"tag-public-radio","16":"tag-radio-new-zealand","17":"tag-rnz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=280515"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280515\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/280516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=280515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=280515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=280515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"NZ](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/4JTOLUY_Image_1_jpg.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n