Seats over 20,000 sq km

One of the smaller items in the agreement with the Maori Party was the agreement to fund a third out of parliament staff member for the seven Maori seats and any general seat over 20,000 sq kms.

I wondered what seats would qualify, and Homepaddock has the answers:

1. Te Tai Tonga – 161,443
2. Clutha-Southland – 38,247
3. West Coast-Tasman – 38,042
4. Te Tai Hauauru – 35,825
5. Waitaki – 34,888
6. Ikaroa-Rawhiti – 30.952
7. Kaikoura – 23,706

So only three of the seven Maori seats are over 20,000 kms. Next we have

1. Waiariki – 19,212
2. Te Tai Tokerau – 16,370
3. East Coast 13,649
4. Taranaki-King Country 12,869
5. Hauraki-Waikato – 12,580

You could cut the line at 15,000 but if Hauraki-Waikato gets a third staffer, shouldn’t East Coast and TKC?

And then we have the seventh Maori seats – Tamaki Makauru at 730 sq kms.  There are a further 21 general seats between Tamaki Makauru and Hauraki-Waikato.

To be fair to all large seats, the agreement should be modified to be either:

1. Only three of the Maori seats and four general seats over 20,000 sq km
2. Five Maori seats, and four general seats over 15,000 sq km
3. Six Maori seats and six general seats over 12,500 sq km
4. All seven Maori seats and 27 general seats over 730 sq km

It is hard to justify a third staffer for Tamaki Makauru, when it is so much smaller than the other Maori seats.