Fewer list seats could squeeze Māori representation in Parliament - expert

2023 set a record for Māori representation in Parliament with 34 MPs at the start of the term, making up around 28 percent of Parliament.

While the makeup could change with the special votes, at least 35 Māori MPs have been elected this term - 27 percent of Parliament.

Associate professor in politics at Victoria University Lara Greaves (Ngāpuhi) told RNZ the proportion of Māori in Parliament has increased over the years, but has hit a ceiling in the high 20 percent range.

"Generally over the last couple of Parliaments, we have tracked in that high 20 percent kind of range. And so with the overhang, of course, the numbers of Parliament change, so the percentages change, but generally we've had a similar number of Māori MPs across different elections, a similar kind of proportion."

Māori representation is also spread across the entire political spectrum. Te Pāti Māori is, of course, 100 percent made up of Māori, both NZ First and the Greens are 50 percent Māori, and ACT is 23 percent.

National's Māori MPs, like all its MPs, entered Parliament via the electorates.

"There's going to be a real struggle within National now because they're so reliant on the electorate MPs. So someone has to get into a winnable, a relatively safe electorate now to become a National MP.

"And so what we've seen is that actually the proportion that are Māori, generally they haven't selected Māori for those safe seats over time. People have said, well, actually the list is where diversity comes through," Greaves said.

Labour will bring two new Māori MPs into Parliament in Mananui Ramsden and Kingi Kiriona.

"It's going to be quite hard for political parties now, especially the major parties, to make sure that they have enough Māori talent coming through in light of the fact that actually over time, they're going to have fewer and fewer list seats, where the list has been a great mechanism to bring in more Māori talent and diversity."

Greaves said the percentage of Māori in Parliament is tracking at almost double the share of the population.

"But there are a lot of reasons for that and there are a lot of people there that aren't there to say that they are Māori first and foremost, or representing indigenous rights or anything along those lines.

"So it's a bit of a complicated picture, but definitely an interesting case study, even internationally around representation and what counts as representation for whose interests.

"Other indigenous peoples around the world are really trying to get any representation in their national legislatures, in their parliaments, as a senator or whatever it is. But yet, we're kind of sitting here with, you know, high 20 percent of our Parliament being Māori and different types of Māori politics, Māori politicians across the political spectrum."

Greaves said it is quite cool that there are a diverse range of Māori willing to put their hands up for Parliament.

"The question is, what is it about Māori that we want to go and be MPs, we want to try to make the country better, according to our own view of it, whether that is more conservative or whether that is more mana motuhake?"