Frequently Asked Questions

Māori Wards or constituencies are seats on local councils that represent Māori who otherwise might not have a voice in local decisions. People enrolled on the Māori electoral roll vote for candidates standing for Māori Wards rather than for candidates in the general ward. Māori Wards are similar to the Māori electorate seats in Parliament - just on a local level.

Māori Ward councillors have a responsibility to represent the interests of Māori communities, as well as contributing to the wider community too. Not every council has a Māori Ward - some have other arrangements to represent Māori voices, and some choose not to have specific Māori representation.

Anyone who is enrolled on the Māori electoral roll can vote for a candidate standing in a Māori ward. For those enrolled on the general roll, they vote for candidates standing in general wards. Any eligible voter can vote in the referendum on retaining Māori wards.

Māori have been significantly underrepresented in local councils for a long time, which means local decisions are often made without Māori voices at the table. Māori Wards are a positive solution that make sure Māori views aren’t left behind. They also guarantee Māori representation on councils and contribute to Māori participation in local decision-making as required under the Local Government Act 2002.

Just as different communities are represented on local councils (e.g. rural populations via wards or local community boards), Māori wards make sure Māori communities are represented.

No, they were brought into law in 2001. They are also similar to the Māori electorates which have been a part of our democracy since 1867.

Up until 2021, councils had to run a referendum to decide whether a Maori ward seat could be established. Communities gathered together to change this law, because it was a discriminatory barrier that was costly and caused division. Once referendums were removed, the number of councils that chose to establish Māori Wards went from 3 to 49. This decision was often made in consultation with local communities and voted on by their Councillors and Mayor.

Yes. Prior to Māori wards, Māori were consistently underrepresented on local councils. For example, in one council, there have been only two Māori councillors in the last 100 years.

The 2022 elections were the first ever time that Māori representation fairly reflected the community across the country. This was a direct result of Māori wards being established, and referendums being removed as a barrier. There is a strong likelihood that if Māori wards are removed, then Māori representation in decision-making on local councils will decrease.

Find more about Māori representation from the Elected Members’ Census by Local Government NZ.

In 2024 the Coalition Government reversed the legislation and brought back these costly, unnecessary compulsory referendums - undoing the hard-fought work of communities to improve representation. This change has forced councils who had not held past referendums to either run one or scrap their Māori wards. Councils were also expected to front the costs for those referendums themselves. Many councils and communities were frustrated about the overreach from the central government into their local democracies. The vast majority of councils voted to keep their Māori wards, which then forced them to run a referendum.

As a result, 42 councils are running referendums as part of the local body elections this year.

You can find out if your council is having a referendum by visiting the map on our homepage. For more information, visit VoteLocal.

While referendums can be a useful tool in our democracy, the use of them becomes a problem when they ask a majority group to vote on the rights of a minority group. Māori make up around 20% of the general population, and in some areas, are an even smaller minority. These referendums will ask the larger non-Māori population to decide on whether Māori have a say on local councils. It would be similar to asking people who live in the cities to vote on whether rural communities have their own representation.

The Māori wards councillors that were voted in for this year will serve until the next local election in 2028. From 2028, the Māori ward will be disestablished, and cannot be overturned for two elections (2028, 2031).

The decision by the Coalition Government to bring back referendums on Māori wards is aligned with many other policies that dismantle provisions that honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi, or remove funding or services that look after Māori communities. While under the guise of democracy, in reality, the referendums simply make it easier for people who don’t agree with Māori representation to remove Māori from decision-making seats at the local level.

Voting is open from the 9th of September until the 11th of October.

If you were enrolled by the 1st of August, then your voting papers should be automatically sent to you. The referendum on whether to keep your local Māori ward will be included on the page that will ask for your selection of council candidates and community board members. All you need to do is follow the instructions and post the form by 7 October or deliver to your council’s secure ballot box. Check out your local council website for ballot box locations.

If you are not enrolled, or you’re not sure, check your details and enrol here. Even if you missed the cut off date in August, make sure you still enrol by October 10th. Check out how to cast a special vote at your local council website which will tell you the special voting locations you can visit in person. You do not need to take any ID or formal documents with you. The staff at the voting booths will help you cast your special vote on the day. Every council has an Electoral Officer, who you can contact for more information if you need it.