Seeing as we are seriously going to do this Electoral Law Review, let’s argue it out.
I say Cancelling Coat tailing + enrolment bias hurts Māori politically.
The MMP coat-tailing rule was a quirky feature that recognized regional political movements and allows for Minor Parties to build infrastructure. The inability for many minor parties to exist suggests it hasn’t been successful to date but doesn’t mean it should be removed!
We aren’t discussing lowering the MMP threshold yet are wanting to kill off a representative feature that currently benefits Māori political representation!
How typical.
While we are highlighting bias against Māori, the manner in which Māori are only allowed to swap between the Māori Roll and General Roll once every 5 years is very regressive in terms of Treaty obligations and democratic representation of Māori.
As the country begins to appreciate the yawning chasm of inequality lockdowns have exacerbated between Māori & Pakeha while acknowledging we aren’t safe until we are all vaccinated, this revelation has to translate into strengthening Maori political representation, not amputating it!
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I like how it exposes Seymour – freedom to choose ideology – but in practice in support of the Epsom Grammar Schools zoning, to be their local MP.
Even now, with ACT over 5%, he still won’t give up his MP for Epsom for life tenure by proposing support for an end to the Grammar zone.
Not only publicly funded but all the free to air TV and radio time should be allocated strictly based upon number of seats contested. Not based on current Parliamentary seats held nor upon polls of Party support.
The coat tailing rule is unfair on parties who don’t win a seat. In 2017 TOP received 2.4% of the party vote and won no seats. ACT with a fraction of that support won one seat.
Of course, if the threshold was reduced to zero the coat tailing rule would have no effect; each party would simply win whatever number of seats the party vote percentage entitled them to.
1) Reduce Parliament to 100 seats make 1%= 1 seat with no coattailing necessary. Remember when NZF got 4.7% but no seats while ACT with 4.2% got 5 seats? Hardly a fair and equal system.
2) Voting age 16.
3) Main chamber 5 or 6 year term but with an upper senate being elected during midterm of Lower House made up of 14 or so provincial/regional senators and abolish Maori electorate seats in lower house but incorporate the Maori seats into the senate.
We should also abolish overhangs.
You’ve mentioned everything except the most obvious reform needed – reduce the number of MPs. Most of them are plonkers, and 120 MPs is far too many for our small population.
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