Latest news with #ElectoralAmendmentAct
1News
25-06-2025
- Politics
- 1News
Māori roll call: Tāme Iti gives shout outs, apologies in longest ad
Artist and activist Tāme Iti's latest project has him featuring in Aotearoa New Zealand's longest advertisement ever made as part of a campaign to encourage more Māori on to the Māori roll. He sits on a stool in a vast, cavernous space, reading out names from a book of people on the Māori roll for nearly 30 minutes straight — "nearly" because in the middle of it he goes off for a "cuppa tea", but the cameras keep rolling on his empty seat during his break. The roll call makes for an arresting watch, simply for the number of names he goes through in one sitting. The monotony is punctuated by personal shout outs to people he recognises – 'Kiri Tamihere-Waititi, tēnā koe, sis!' – or apologies to those whose names he stumbles on. Speaking to Breakfast about the ad this morning, he urged people to get 'politically involved' on all levels of governance. 'I've gone past the days when we used to say 'don't vote'. Times have changed, we've got a bigger population, we've got a huge Māori population, particularly the [18- to 30-year-olds]. ADVERTISEMENT '[It's] really, really important there for them to be engaged.' He said he was passionate about getting rangatahi engaged so 'they have a voice' and a say in political matters. 'That's really the focus for us, to encourage all of our rangatahi, ngā rangatahi from 30 down to 18.' Created by the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency (WOCA), the ad campaign marks the 50th anniversary of the Māori electoral option — the choice for Māori to be on the general or Māori roll. In 1975, the Electoral Amendment Act passed, defining Māori as a person of New Zealand Māori descent. Prior to the act, a person's electoral roll was determined by the percentage of Māori blood they were deemed to have. WOCA chair Merepeka Raukawa-Tait (Te Arawa) said in a statement the agency wanted to capture the voice of the politically-charged young Māori and give them a genuine seat at the table. 'When our people are engaged in the systems that shape their lives, we start to see real change not just politically, but in health, education, and the wellbeing of our whānau. At the end of the day, this is about M.M.P.; More Māori in Parliament. But that's only going to happen if we can help drive Māori to vote.' ADVERTISEMENT As of June 1, 565,985 voters of Māori descent were enrolled to vote, with 297,798 (52.6%) on the Māori roll and 268,187 (47.4%) on the general roll, according to Stats NZ. Raukawa-Tait said tamariki Māori are expected to make up 1 in 3 children within the next 20 years. 'We must safeguard our rangatahi's future with an electoral roll that centres the political system in te ao Māori. I believe the Māori roll is our most powerful manifestation of tino-rangatiratanga, or self determination, for people to have their voices heard.' The deadline for switching rolls is July 10.
Scoop
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Local Elections: Deadline Nears For Switching Between Māori And General Rolls
Māori voters have until July 10 to change electoral rolls before the local elections. Voters of Māori descent choose between the Māori roll or the general roll when they first enrol to vote. After that they can change between the Māori roll or general roll at any time except in the three months before an election. Electoral Commission Chief Advisor Māori, Hone Matthews, said Māori voters could not switch rolls in the three months before the local elections on 11 October. "The local elections are when we vote for the people who represent us on our city, district and regional councils. Make sure you're enrolled so you can have your say. "If you're on the Māori roll and your council has Māori wards, you'll vote in a Māori ward. If you're on the general roll or your council doesn't have Māori wards, you'll vote in a general ward. "The elections are run by councils and it's a postal vote. Check your address is up to date so you receive voting papers from your local council in the mail," he said. Voting documents for the local elections will be delivered from 9-22 September. The last day for posting votes by mail is 7 October. After this date votes must be returned to council's ballot boxes. Election day is 11 October. 50 years of the Māori Electoral Option 2025 marks 50 years of the Māori Electoral Option, which is the choice for Māori between the Māori roll and the general roll. The Electoral Amendment Act passed in 1975 defined Māori as a person of New Zealand Māori descent and means anyone who is Māori has the option of enrolling to vote on either roll. "General roll or Māori roll, it's your choice. He mana tō te kōwhiri - your choice has mana," Matthews said.
IOL News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
New donation thresholds approved by National Assembly to enhance political funding transparency
The National Assembly has adopted a report that recommended that the upper limit of donations be set at R30 million and the disclosure limit be set at R200,000 in a financial year. Image: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers The National Assembly on Tuesday adopted a report proposing increased disclosure thresholds and upper limits for donations to political parties and independent candidates. This unanimous decision, except for dissent from the MK Party, Build One South Africa, Al Jama-ah, and the ATM, is a sequel to the public hearings undertaken by the Home Affairs Portfolio Committee after Parliament was taken to court by lobby group, My Vote Counts, when it passed the Electoral Amendment Act without setting the upper limits for donation and disclosure thresholds before the 2024 elections. Before the amendment, the disclosure threshold was R100,000 per financial year, and the upper limit for donations was R15 million per financial year to political parties. When the newly amended law was passed, which also catered for independent candidates in line with the Political Party Funding Act, the National Assembly was required to pass a resolution to enable the president to make regulations relating to the amounts and set out factors to consider in regulating the amounts. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ However, when the amended legislation came into operation in May, there were no amounts determined for disclosure threshold or upper limits or donations received. This prompted My Vote Counts to lodge an application in the Western Cape High Court in May seeking an order. The Western Cape High Court ruled that a legal lacuna had been created and inserted a read-in provision, which was essentially the reinstatement of the old amounts. In its report to the House, the portfolio committee recommended that the upper limit of donations be set at R30 million and that the disclosure limit be set at R200,000 in a financial year. Committee chairperson Mosa Chabane said the motion took into consideration the balance of running political parties and the need for transparency. MK Party MP Sihle Ngubane said transparency was a procedural necessity for democracy that enabled voters to know the funders of political parties to make informed decisions when they vote. Ngubane noted that there were concerns with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) enforcing compliance, in a move that may lead to potential loopholes. He said the IEC should be provided with resources, and enforcement should be strengthened. Ngubane said the elephant in the room was the sealed bank statement for the funding of President Cyril Ramaphosa's election to the ANC presidency. 'Till today, we have unresolved sealed bank statements funded through trusts, no accountability, transparency, and disclosure,' he said. Ngubane also said there should be lifestyle audits of all, including judges, who must be held to the same standards as politicians. 'Their role in politics is growing daily; they choose sides instead of being impartial,' he said, adding that the Phala Phala scandal should come back and be subjected to scrutiny. DA MP Adrian Roos said they supported the technical amendments to the Act to set the disclosure of donations and disclosures. 'These figures remain unchanged since the Act came into effect despite the inflation and rising campaign costs. For legitimate political activity to remain viable, the regulatory framework must evolve within the economic context,' Roos said. He called for a relook of the Political Funding Act to asses whether it pursued promotion of transparency and accountability in political finances. 'Is the Act achieving the constitutional purpose of promoting openness and fairness? Has it discouraged legitimate donations?' said Roos. EFF MP Thapelo Mogale said there was a need to ensure that the disclosure was done in a manner that did not create an administrative burden to parties as some don't have the capacity to monitor and report every donation they received. Mogale also called on the portfolio committee to summon the four major donors of political parties to explain their motives in funding them. ANC MP Moleboheng Modise-Mpya said the amended legislation reaffirmed the spirit of the Constitution to enhance multi-party democracy. 'We will continue to play our oversight role to ensure there is accountability and transparency on funds allocated to political parties and independent candidates. 'Our ideal situation is to have the state provide the necessary resources for political parties from the fiscus. That will go a long way to minimise reliance of political parties on private donors,' Modise-Mpya said.
