Auckland, Jul 06, 2018 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Democracy Action welcomes Winston Peters’ call for a two-pronged referendum on whether Māori seats should be entrenched, or should go altogether.

Labour MP Rino Tirikatene’s bill to entrench the Māori seats will soon have its first reading in Parliament.

“NZ First has campaigned for many years on holding a binding referendum on whether to abolish the seats, and we are pleased Mr Peters is taking this opportunity to allow voters to decide,” says the founder of Democracy Action, Lee Short.

“The Māori seats are from a bygone era, and should have been removed when MMP was introduced in 1996, as recommended by the Royal Commission.”

ENDS