pn592. Maori Party applies for election recounts

Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer

The Māori Party's application for recounts in two electorates is unusual. 

It has no dispute with the final results but wishes to use the recounts to examine issues faced by Maori voters at some polling booths which it considered disadvantaged some Maori voters. Some were forced to cast special votes while difficulties casting a vote meant some simply left before voting. The recount would also allow the party to analyse informal votes that did not count towards the results. 

The Party is  also critical of current election rules which only allow Māori to switch to the Māori roll every five years (elections are held every 3 years), and the 5% coat-tailing threshold to enter Parliament. They say this is unreachable for any indigenous party,  and needs to be halved for Māori seats.

The Party is represented in Parliament by Rawiri Waititi who won the electorate of Waiariki (Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Taupo) and party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer who joined him from the party list after special votes were counted.

The recount will take three to five days.

Labour and the Greens don't think the rule which gave the Maori party its second seat when special votes increased its vote to 1.2% is fair, and would prefer to lower the threshold from 5 percent to 4 percent as recommended in 2012 by the Electoral Commission. 

-- ACW