Rūnanga

This article is about the current Rūnanga of the Meridian Islands. For other uses, see Rūnanga (disambiguation).

Rūnanga
Type
Type	Unicameral
History
Founded	May 16, 1940 (1940-05-16)
Leadership
Speaker	Hone Lamartine since May 2019
Structure
Seats	30
Political groups	Rangatiratanga: 18 seats   Democratic Alternative: 6 seats   Alliance: 2 seats   Independents: 4 seats
Elections
Voting system	Multi-seat constituency
Last election	2019 Meridian general election
Meeting place
Kōuranui

The Rūnanga of the Meridian Islands (Te Reo Haukāinga: Te Rūnanga o Te-Kupenga-a-Tūmatauenga, Gaullican: La Rounanga des Iles méridiennes) is the unicameral legislature of the Meridian Islands. It is composed of 30 members, 22 of whom are directly elected by the population from several constituencies using a single non-transferable vote system. The remaining eight seats are granted to the Ariki of each of the recognised Iwi of the Meridian Islands. It is headed by the Speaker of the House, who is chosen by the Rūnanga.

History

During the period of first contact with Euclea, the Hau Kāinga were organised by Iwi and Hapū and had no overall organisational system. Within Hapū, the power would usually be exerted by a singular Rangatira, though this was usually done with the consultation of the elders and experts (tohunga). With the signing of the Kaitangata Accord, the chieftains agreed to create an assembly where they would make decisions in order to better represent their people, which was named the Rūnanga of 1763. This assembly met every three years, or whenever called by the chieftains in response to developments.

In the Functionalist era, the Rūnanga was disestablished. While the Ariki Tapairu remained the nominal governing authority of the Meridian Islands, real power was held by the Governor General and Gaullican administration. Local tribal authorities were sidelined, and in 1929 the State Rūnanga was established. This was a council of Tauiwi and Hau Kāinga loyalists, who were themselves puppets of Verlois.

During the independence process, Maxime Arutanga proposed the idea of a bicameral legislature which would protect the interests of both nobles and commoners, but faced resistance from Werania due to the inneficiency and small size of the nation. Instead, the modern Rūnanga was devised. In the first Rūnanga, there were an equal number of seats for Ariki and commoners. In the first election, every seat was taken by the Rangatiratanga Party or by independents.

In 1956, opposing the election of Te-Patu-a-Ihu of Ngāti Kenana to the position of Ariki Tapairu, Ariki Tiki Tane of Kāi Tonga broke off from the Rangatiratanga Party and founded the Farmer's Alliance, the first opposition party. This was followed in 1961, following the expansion of popular seats, by the election of Hone Hawareha of the Meridian Section of the Worker's Internationale.

In 1995, the Democratic Alternative were founded by several disaffected Rangariratanga members. The party has since grown to be the largest opposition party, currently holding 6 seats.

Distribution

According to the Constitution of the Meridian Islands, the Rūnanga is divided between Ariki and commoners. The Ariki of each Iwi is guaranteed a seat within the Rūnanga, while each Takiwā is assigned a proportional number of seats according to it's population.

Takiwā	Seats
Ariki	8
Kōuranui	8
Te Tai Tūāraki	4
Puiapākai	3
Mouteretonga	3
Ile des Sirènes	2
Te-Tāhuna-o-Pāpaka	2

Building

The Whare Rūnanga at Kōuranui, where the Rūnanga is held.

The Rūnanga is held within the Whare Rūnanga, which is located in Kōuranui, the capital city of the Meridian Islands. Built in the shape of a traditional Wharenui, the Whare Rūnanga is highly traditional. Members sit on long benches, and all votes are conducted with raised hands. The Speaker directs debate, which can become heated due to the intimacy of the proceedings.