Political Representation on the New Auckland Council – Has Amalgamation Led to Greater Diversity?

Abstract

This paper explores the diversity of local government electoral candidates and elected members, in Auckland – one of the world's most diverse cities (Chen 2015: 56) – following the 2010 amalgamation. It responds to questions raised over the democratic gaps created by enlarged wards, a lack of diverse representation, and higher elected member ratios. The research asks the question – who stood and who was elected in the election following the Auckland 2010 reforms, and how does this compare with the city's diverse population. Pitkin's (1967) concept of descriptive representation provides the foundation for a comparison of the gender, age, and ethnicity of local population, local government candidates, and elected members, to ascertain descriptive representation. The human rights framework provides a theoretical foundation to examine the diversity of representation. Preliminary findings support the view that under the shared governance model, electoral candidates are becoming more ethnically and gender diverse at the local level; while at the regional level, the dominance of the archetypal councillor as European, middle‐aged and male, prevails.

Women, ethnic minorities and local electoral success in Auckland, New Zealand

“…Auckland's status as a 'super-diverse' city provides a broader dimension through which to take an intersectional approach to local representation (Vertovec 2007;Chen 2015Chen , 2017Spoonley 2015;Webster and Fa'apoi 2018). While this study is concerned specifically with diversity in terms of gender and ethnicity, the wider implications of super-diversity, including experiences of political systems, community and migration, have important policy implications for civic participation, engagement and democracy and deserve examination in future research.…”

“…This research is premised on the purpose of the New Zealand Local Electoral Act 2001 being to implement "fair and effective representation for individuals and communities" (Section 4(1)(c)). It is further underpinned by the United Nations human rights framework, which argues for political representation that responds to changing demographics (McGregor et al 2015); by Pitkin's (1967) concept of descriptive representation; and by modern concepts of democracy advocating recognition of diversity (for a detailed discussion of these concepts see Webster and Fa'apoi 2018). Integral to this inquiry is recognition that the structure of local government elections has failed to deliver on the obligations of the Crown to Māori under Te Tiriti o Waitangi 1 to promote their rights to fair and effective representation in governance.…”

“…However, the two are intricately linked. It is generally agreed, for example, that good substantive representation (Webster and Fa'apoi 2018) implies recognising diversity, in contrast with historical ideas of representation as more paternalistic. The United Nations General Assembly (1979) agreed that "good substantive representation implies recognising diversity and ideological conflict regarding women's interests and gendered perspectives".…”

“…Māori have vigorously asserted the difficulties they face in getting elected to local government under the FPP electoral system, even when they put their best candidates forward (Webster 2011;Webster and Cheyne 2017;Webster and Fa'apoi 2018). Notwithstanding the efforts of the Independent Māori Statutory Board to promote Māori ancestral and contemporary concerns, the challenge faced by Māori in achieving voice at the local governance table via the electoral process has yet to be overcome.…”

“…This article addresses the question: in terms of gender and ethnicity, how closely have local government candidates and elected members reflected Auckland's population since the amalgamations that created the new unitary city in 2010? The research builds on the baseline established in 2013 (Webster and Fa'apoi 2018) and explores trends in the gender and ethnicity of both unsuccessful candidates and those elected in Auckland's 2013Auckland's , 2016 and 2019 triennial local elections.…”