Green Party MPs Celia Wade Brown and Hūhana Lyndon Photo: supplied
The Green Party is calling for the voting period for Māori wards to be extended after candidate profiles were left out of voting packs in three districts.
Green Party spokesperson for Democracy and Electoral Reform Celia Wade-Brown is concerned the missing information could influence the course of the referendum.
"We are calling for the voting period to be extended so people can make their decision with all the information they should have got from the start."
ElectionNZ is employed to run the election process and the council's role is to promote the election and encourage voter participation. The Electoral Commission is not responsible for local body elections.
The Green List MP has written a letter to chief electoral officer Dale Ofsoske of Ōpōtiki District and electoral officer Warwick Lampp of Whanganui District, South Wairarapa District, and Manawatū District Councils "as a matter of urgency".
Although Lampp had owned up to the printing error, he confirmed to RNZ that the candidate profiles for both the mayor and the Māori ward candidate for Manawatū were not included in the candidate profile booklet because their elections are unopposed.
Since 2011, legislation does not require unopposed candidates to be printed in local election profile booklets.
Earlier this week, Lampp said in statement that Māori ward electors were being sent an individual letter this week with candidate profiles included.
"People won't be able to appreciate the full value of Māori wards without knowing anything about the people running for them," Wade-Brown said.
"We believe that failing to extend the voting period for the referendum could undermine its validity and trigger an inquiry under the Local Electoral Act. All of this mess demonstrates exactly why local body elections should be run by the electoral commission rather than private companies."
According to Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ), Māori wards allow Māori to be part of decision-making and have representation on local councils.
"Scrapping these wards could not only breach the Bill of Rights but also undermine the essence of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and prolong a legacy of Māori voices being sidelined across local government," Wade-Brown said.
"This referendum is massive for our democracy. All we are asking for is that this is done properly. Communities deserve to have the full picture and be completely across what is at stake with this referendum before making a decision."
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