Ian McLean Green candidate for Tauranga

Views differ about the value of MMP as a voting system, but there is no question that it delivers representative government. The reason: you can vote separately and strategically for candidates and parties.

Like a particular candidate? Great. You can vote for that candidate independently of their party. Like a particular party? Cool. You can vote for that party independently of its candidate. You can vote-in Russell Norman even though you live in the Tauranga electorate and he is standing in Rongotai. You can even vote for your favourite party if no candidate is standing in your electorate.

New Zealand originally supported MMP because we wanted a diversity of representation in parliament. We still do!

Twenty years ago, it was unimaginable that a strong and independent Maori Party would even exist, much less that it would sit as part of a coalition government. After all, then and now, Maori were/are only around 15 per cent of our national population. Of our MPs today, about 15 per cent are Maori, 33 per cent are women (up about 10 per cent from the old days of FPP), and five per cent are Asian (up from zero per cent).

The establishment of MMP as our voting system indicates political maturity in our community, tolerance of alternative views, and a willingness to embrace cultural and political diversity.

We may struggle with some of the consequences, such as the shifting nature of political alliances, the emergence of mavericks, and the need to think a little more before casting our votes. Yes, things are a little more complicated than they used to be, but our community is complex and the old system of shading oneself slightly red or slightly blue denied the existence of the rainbow.

Alliances: they shift because each party is jockeying for the position that best promotes its policies. Mavericks? We always had them, although sidelining them is a little more difficult today than it was before. That is a good thing.

The situation now? Fundamentally, the upcoming referendum on MMP is about representation. It is most certainly not about imperfections in voting systems. If retention is supported, MMP will still be reviewed in order to try and iron outs its imperfections.

Support MMP, and you promote representation and celebrate diversity. Whakanui tatou te aniwaniwa.

Want to know more? Visit www.elections.org.nz/voting/mmp/