The 4-month 2001 Ma¯ori Electoral Option closed on Wednesday 1 August 2001 with a significant increase in the total number of new Ma¯ori enrolments. 18,574 new Ma¯ori enrolments were received; 40.9% more than in the last Option in 1997.

New Zealand Post’s Electoral Enrolment Centre National Manager Murray Wicks said today that 37,312 Ma¯ori electors had taken the opportunity to enrol or change roll type. A breakdown shows that 13,872 Ma¯ori electors changed from the General roll to the
Ma¯ori roll; 4,866 from the Ma¯ori roll to the General roll; 15,138 new enrolments on the Ma¯ori roll; and 3,436 new electors who have identified themselves as Ma¯ori on the General roll.

The final enrolment figures have been provided to the Government Statistician who will calculate the number of Ma¯ori and General electoral seats for the next Parliament. These final calculations are scheduled for release by the Government Statistician in mid September.

Following the Government Statistician’s announcement the Surveyor-General will determine provisional names and boundaries for each General and Ma¯ori electoral district. This information will be used by the Representation Commission who will call for public submissions prior to final electorate names and boundaries being proclaimed in April 2002.

Ends

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>