The National Party’s announcement to reinstate a total ban on prisoner voting is a shameful step backwards. Denying the right to vote does not strengthen society — it weakens our democracy and breaches Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

“Voting is not a privilege to be taken away — it is a fundamental human right. Stripping whānau of their right to participate in democracy only deepens the cycles of marginalisation and injustice that our people have been subjected to for generations,” says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Justice, Tākuta Ferris.

“This govt is locking people up for what they wear, increasing sentences across the board, and now they are telling those people that they have no right to participate in the system that has incarcerated them.

“Paul Goldsmith has been advised by his own Ministry that his policies will exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in prison.

“He is knowingly disenfranchising Māori as the Minister for Justice and Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations.

“This announcement is the opposite of justice and everything Te Tiriti o Waitangi stands for; he should be ashamed of himself.”

Te Pāti Māori is clear:

• We will reinstate the right for all whānau in Corrections facilities to vote.
• We reject a justice system that punishes instead of heals.
• True justice is about restoration, not exclusion.

“Once again, National is showing that their vision for Aotearoa is not one of transformation, healing, or fairness — it is one of punishment, control, and division,” concluded Ferris.

Te Pāti Māori will continue to fight for a justice system that restores whānau, not destroys them and we will continue to advocate for those who are being left behind.

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