Maori Seats

Des’s pet theory.

Hubbard’s View (Bay Times, 9 August) suggests that separate Maori seats are outdated. But parliamentary electorates are supposed to reflect community of interest. In days gone by when people did not travel as much as they do today and communications were limited, their economic, social and political interests probably were the same as the people next door. Today we travel widely and technology has reduced the world to a global village. I am likely to have more in common with someone at the other end of New Zealand than with my next-door neighbour. Why should community of interest be determined any more by geography? Isn’t it the General Roll that is the anachronism?
Maybe we should consider extending the Maori Option instead of scrapping it.

Pacific Islanders could have their own roll if they decided that their ethnic origins provided more community of interest than their street address. In fact the option could be extended to any group of people with a shared community of interest that was more important to them than where they live - provided they could command the numbers to warrant a separate roll. This is just another form of proportional representation. The Maori seats may be a pointer towards the future rather than a relic from the past.