New Zealand First is campaigning to shut down the Independent Māori Statutory Board in Auckland, saying it is an unelected body that should not influence council decisions, according to RNZ.

The board was created in 2009 when Auckland's local councils merged into one larger council. Its job is to help Auckland Council make decisions by raising issues that matter to Māori in the city. Board members are chosen, not elected by voters. New Zealand First says this is the problem: any group that influences council decisions should be elected by voters, not appointed.

This policy is part of NZ First's wider campaign against what it calls co-governance — arrangements where Māori have a say in how public organisations work. To shut down the board, Parliament would need to change the law that created it. The Auckland Council cannot do this by itself.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown said the policy was "dumb racist stuff." His strong response means this debate will stay in the news during the election campaign.

Right-leaning political parties have criticised the board since it started. Their argument is simple: if people are not elected, they should not have power over how the council runs. People who defend the board, including Māori leaders, say it fixes a problem. Māori interests in Auckland were ignored for a long time in local government, they argue, and the board helps fix that.

These arguments are not new. What is different now is that there is an election coming. NZ First came back into Parliament in 2023 after being out in 2020, and is building its election campaign. Simple, clear policies do better with voters than complicated arguments about co-governance. The board is a clear target.

Whether voters see this policy as good or bad will depend on what people in Auckland think, and on whether NZ First's coalition partners — ACT and National — support it. Neither party has campaigned to shut the board down, though both have doubts about co-governance arrangements.

If a right-leaning coalition with NZ First wins after the 2026 election, Parliament can change the law with a simple vote. The real question is whether the other parties will make this a priority or just accept it as part of the deal.