‘That’s Us’ - a group of young advocates is aiming to increase Māori voter registration in Aotearoa, targeting over 200,000 unenrolled eligible Māori voters.
“He mea ki te rēhita, he mea anō ki te pōti. Nā reira ko tā mātau ko te rēhita i ngā whānau kia riro i a rātau te kōwhiringa kia pōti,” says Maungarongo Tito, one of the group’s kaihāpai.
(It’s one thing to register and another thing to vote. So our job is to register people so they have the option to vote themselves.)
“The objective is to get our people to the start line so we have the options and have our say.”
The newly established group was spearheaded by Tasha Hohaia (Ngāpuhi) when she saw the staggering statistics of unregistered eligible Māori voters.
“I was looking at some stats and they scared me,” she says.
“I was a little bit pouri (sad), a little bit shocked because that’s our voice and we belong in every space.”
That’s Us is rallying local leaders and community groups, sports teams, churches and kura to boost enrolment efforts.
Hohaia says their strategy is simple and driven by whanaungatanga.
“We’re literally getting whānau champions. We’re saying - you pick your rōpu that you’re gonna tautoko, you fill forms and we get them back.”
The group has branched out to communities in Tāmaki Makaurau, Te Taitokerau, Waikato and Te Tairāwhiti. Hohaia encourages everyone from kapa haka tutors, to sport coaches and iwi chairs to join the kaupapa.
“We’ve got hundreds so far and we’re just gonna keep tracking until we get to the tens and thousands.”
According to Stats NZ, Aotearoa’s Māori population has surpassed 900,000. Of this population, more than 300,000 are enrolled on the Māori roll, while more than 200,000 are registered to vote on the general roll.
Tito (Waikato, Ngāpuhi, Aitutaki) says trust is a big barrier for whānau who aren’t yet enrolled.
“Ko tā rātau - he aha te wāriu i roto i taku tuku pōti mēnā e kore te kāwanatanga e tautoko i ngā mahi a ngā whānau, a ngā hapū, a ngā iwi o te motu.”
(They say - what is the value in our vote if the government doesn’t support the works of our families, subtribes and wider tribes around the country.)
He also reflects on voting advice that influenced his view on voting as a youngster.
“They said, if you’re not at the table then you’re on the menu,”
“If we weren’t participating or engaging, then we were on the menu - which meant it was somebody else’s job to [make] decisions for me.”
This group is not tied to any particular political party, but say the basis of their movement is kotahitanga.
“Koirā te mea o runga - ki te whakakotahi i ngā reo o [te iwi] Māori.”
“Kei te porotēhi te iwi Māori i tēnei wā. A kō ake nei ka tīmata te hīkoi nui mai i Te Taitokerau ki te whare pāremata.
Ko te pātai nui - ka aha tātau te Māori ki te whakawhanake i a tātau anō.”
(That’s the main goal - to unify Māori. Māori are protesting right now. Soon the march from Northland to Parliament will begin. The big question is - what will Māori do to advance ourselves?)
Hohaia says this movement is about more than enrolment.
“It’s about [having] a voice and everyone should have that. This is the biggest decision making table.”
“My hope is that we get to 1000 registered by the end of next month, and that we get to 10,000 registered by the end of Feb,” Hohaia says.
The Electoral Commission joined the first official open hui for That’s Us on Sunday.