Voting rights

In reply to John Howes’ statement (Letters, Jan 15) that ‘‘Collective land ownership by Ma¯ ori prevented them from voting until after WWII’’, this is completely wrong, with the converse being true with regard to collective land ownership.

Adult Ma¯ ori men deemed to have collective ownership of land actually were granted universal male suffrage some 12 years earlier – in 1867 – than landless or non-qualifying leaseholder Pa¯ keha¯ men, who had to wait until 1879.

A small number of Ma¯ ori men, some 100 or so with qualifying land holdings (the British qualification of the time) voted in New Zealand’s first election.

Universal adult suffrage was granted in 1893 with the inclusion of women, but excluding criminals and aliens, New Zealand being the first country in the world to do so.

Adult Ma¯ ori men and Pa¯ keha¯ men having a land-owning qualification have had a voting right in NZ since the first general election of 1853, some 92 years prior to the end of WWII.

Denis Milne, Waikuku Beach