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The Local Government Act 2002 explicitly requires Māori contributions to local authority decision-making processes. Seven years on, it is timely to review the outcomes of the new statutory provisions and to consider Māori aspirations in relation to local political participation. This paper describes research that was carried out to investigate Māori participation in local elections and other forms of decision-making. Focus groups were conducted with four main types of Māori electors: urban Māori and rural Māori aged 25 years and over, and 18-24 years old Māori engaged in tertiary education or the workforce. The focus groups were part of a wider project on local political participation which explored linkages between what people know about local government and their participation in local government. Focus groups (hui rangahau) proved to be a particularly valuable vehicle for engaging with Māori youth (rangatahi Māori) about their participation in local authority decision-making. The purpose of this paper is to report the findings on the views of rangatahi Māori about local political participation, and offers reflections on the utility of the focus group methodology. The research highlights a number of strategies that local authorities can deploy to reduce the barriers to voting and other forms of participation experienced by Māori youth. Improved engagement with Māori youth is vital to ensure that Māori contributions to decision-making processes do not remain under-developed in future.
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Local government in New Zealand faces major challenges. Among the most pressing are continual legislative change, threats to its autonomy, the gradual erosion of community voices in council planning and decision-making, and the need for funding solutions to ensure property rates remain affordable. As well, there is an urgent need for a more coordinated approach across central government on major policy issues such as climate change and housing. This book exposes these challenges and proposes and debates solutions for the future of our local government. Strong local government is vital for ensuring economic growth across and within regions and local communities, for enhancing community wellbeing, for funding and providing the infrastructure needed for, in some cases, rapidly growing and diverse communities, for ensuring our environment is valued and protected, and for planning for development in a time of constraint on resources. This book is a 'one-stop information shop' on local government that can be used by those who regularly interact with or study this area of government, by those working within local authorities, and by those who actively work to ensure their communities grow in a sustainable way.
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