Jo WaitoaJo Waitoa

Joanne Waitoa (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Rakaipaaka) is a Treaty Implementation Ranger at the Department of Conservation. She was a PhD student researching the diversity of Māori political activity. Her 2013 master’s thesis explored the role of social media in Māori political engagement.

Voting isn’t everything: On Māori politics and the meaning of participation

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Almost 170 years ago, Māori political processes were interrupted and displaced by a new, enforced electoral system. Researcher Jo Waitoa dispels the myth that voter turnout and political participation are the same thing.  Read more of the The Spinoff’s Election 2020 coverage here. Māori political participation has a long and enduring tradition that cannot be … Read more