Files
Document type
ArticleVersion
Accepted versionPublication date
All rights reserved
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/175565
Māori in New Zealand: voting with their feet?
Journal Title
Authors
Director/Tutor
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Related resource
Abstract
Māori in New Zealand have the right to choose which electorate to vote in: they can choose to vote in a 'General district' (with other Māori and all non- Māori), or to vote in a 'Māori district', where only Māori are allowed to register. Every five years there is a period known as Māori Electoral Option, during which Māori are given the option to either stay in their current district or switch. This offers an ideal setting to analyse whether Māori voters strategically choose to register where they expect the race to be closer. To that avail, I use data from two Māori Electoral Options, two general elections, and two censuses. Results suggest that only a very small fraction of Māori (less than 2%) seem to respond to the strategic incentives described. Two forces seem to play a much larger role in enrolment choices: cultural allegiances and socioeconomic status. Māori with a stronger sense of Māori identity and Māori living in socially disadvantaged areas tend to overwhelmingly enrol in the Māori districts. The implications of these results are discussed.
Subject
Subject (English)
Citation
Collections
Citation
RIAMBAU ARMET, Guillem. Māori in New Zealand: voting with their feet?. Political Science. 2020. Vol. 72, num. 2, pags. 93-117. ISSN 0032-3187. [consulted: 9 of August of 2026]. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/175565