Font Size:     

Nō tēnei tau tonu ( 1996) ka tīmatahia te āhua pōti
kāwanatanga e kiia nei, ko te Mixed Member
Proportional Representation. Koianei te huringa matua
tuatahi o te pōti i te kāwanatanga, mai i te tau 1890 te
wā i tīmatahia ai ngā rōpū kāwanatanga, ā, i
whakatūhia ai te rōpū Liberal o John Ballance. Tērā
anō te whakakorenga o te Kaunihera Ture i te tau 1949.
Mā te MMP pea e whakarahi ake ngā māngai mō
te iwi Māori i roto i te Paremata. Nō te tau 1986 i
whakaarohia ai ēnei āhuatanga, ā, ka whakaurua ki
tētahi wāhanga o te pūrongo a te Kōmihana Karauna
mō te Pūnaha Pōti i te marama o Hakihea i taua tau.
He mahi mātātaki tā rātou, arā, te whakaatu ki te
kāwanatanga tētahi pūnaha pōti e noho rite ai ngā rōpū
whakataetae me ngā rōpū whai kaupapa i roto i te
paremata. E ai ki tā te pūrongo, ko te iwi Māori tētahi
o ngā rōpū whai kaupapa nei. Ka whakatītinahia te
MMP e te Komihana i runga i tō rātou whakaaro ka
"tōkeke atu te whai wāhi a te iwi Māori ki te paremata".
Ka tīkina atu te tauira mō te puku o tēnei tuhituhi
mai ērā korero i tuhia i te tau 1867. E whai ana tēnei i
te whakaaro kia riro mā te Māori tonu e hoe tōna nei
waka ātea. Ina kai te mōhio pai tatau kāore i tūtuki
tenei ōhaki.
I tēnei ao hurihuri nei, arā 1996 te tau, kei te māro
tonu te kāwanatanga, inā kāore tonu ia e mahi tahi
ana kite iwi Māori ki te whiriwhiri i ngā āhuatanga
pōti e tika ana, pērā i te tau 1867. Ko tāna titiro kē, ko
ngā painga ka puta kite katoa, me te whai i te ritenga
mō ngā rōpū whakataetae, me ngā rōpū whai kaupapa.
I runga i tenei tū āhua, kia uia atu koia, he aha tā te
MMP ma te iwi Māori - he hua ka puta, he momo
karo anō rānei?

This year, 1996, saw the introduction of Mixed
Member Proportional Representation. This measure
represented the first major reform of New Zealand's
electoral system since at least 1949.
MMP was first suggested in 1986 by a royal
commission on the electoral system which sought to
recommend a new electoral system that might achieve
equity between all contesting parties and interest
groups in New Zealand. Māori people were seen to
constitute such an interest group. The Commission
advocated MMP partly because it offered "more
collective representation" for Māori.
Such references to "more effective representation"
for Māori bring to mind the circumstances under which
Māori first obtained parliamentary representation in
1867. This paper briefly revisits the circumstances of
that 1867 legislation, the purpose of which was to grant
Māori special representation in order to incorporate
their affairs further within the functioning heart of
representative government. This Māori representation
measure was also intended as a temporary expedient.
Yet Māori representation continued in that 1867 form
for another 130 years. The temporary measure became
a permanent expedient.
In the modern context, 1996, the government
continues in it's historical unwillingness to negotiate
electoral reform with Māori, as it refused to do in 1867,
on any basis other than that of realising a common
good, and achieving proportionality between
contesting parties and interest groups. On this basis,
does MMP offer Māori anything more than another
permanent expedient?