Names on roll ‘at face value’

Press, 24 October 1978, Page 2

Names on roll ‘at face value’

PA Wellington No way was available to know whether people were entitled to be on the Maori . roll, said the Chief Electoral ! Officer (Mr J. Wright) | yesterday. He was commenting on an assertion by the Labour can!didate for Hunua (Auckland). ■Mr M. Douglas, that about ! 100 Samoans were on the (Western Maori roll. Mr Wright said that only New Zealand Maoris were allowed on the Maori rolls. But there was now no minimum percentage of Maori blood required of those eligible: the only qualification was that the person had Maori ancestry. Persons with a Maori background had an option: [when filling out their enrol-; [ment cards of ticking the portion that indicated they

wanted to be on the Maori roll. “Our problem is that most, cards come in through the' mail and our office has to take the cards at face value,” Mr Wright said. “I know that in the past we have queried non-Maori names on the Maori rolls ! but these people have: almost invariably been en-l titled to be on the roll.” j Mr Wright said that Sa-| moans and other Pacific Is-! landers were entitled to' enrol on the general roll if: they met residential qualifications. They must live in New' Zealand and intend to stay, indefinitely, or they must' have lived in New Zealand] at least a year. They must; ! live in an electoral district I for at least a month before; applying for registration on that district's roll. .