Mā te rongo, ka mōhio;
Mā te mōhio, ka mārama;
Mā te mārama, ka mātau;
Mā te mātau, ka ora.
From listening comes knowledge;
From knowledge comes understanding;
From understanding comes wisdom;
From wisdom comes well-being.
FAQ
Your questions, answered
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Explore the links below for more information
ABOUT
About us
We are a diverse group of New Zealanders who believe Aotearoa New Zealand is stronger for its founding agreement between Māori and the Crown. We believe Te Tiriti/The Treaty plays an important role in ensuring we move forward together in unity. Our group includes health professionals, lawyers, teachers, business people, farmers, students and other New Zealanders who want to see Aotearoa New Zealand thrive. We are not aligned with a particular political party. We are a place for people across the political spectrum, including those who voted for the current government, to come together and show support for Te Tiriti/The Treaty.
We originally came together to oppose the Treaty Principles Bill and found that hundreds of people were looking for a place to make their support for Te Tiriti/The Treaty of Waitangi visible and joined us in this initiative. Our supporters around the country lodged submissions in opposition and joined the hikois, including in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. We made a submission to the Justice Select Committee and were to chosen to present it in person.
Our focus remains on building the partnership between Māori and tangata Tiriti (Non-Māori).
The immediate issue in front of us is the Regulatory Standards Bill which affects not only Māori, but many other groups. We believe we are stronger together. That is why it is important that we now stand together in opposition to this legislation.
We are working with iwi to ensure that anything we do is both appropriate and helpful.
Waitangi Tribunal Report on Māori Wards
Public feedback and commentary on the Regulatory Standards Bill
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Update on Referendum on Keeping Māori Wards
The recent Local Body elections are completed and the results show some encouraging signs. Out of the 42 councils that held the binding referenda, 24 voted to remove Māori wards and 18 voted to keep them. However, across the total of New Zealand communities who held referenda, more people voted to keep Māori wards (50%) than remove them (43%). The results also show support for Māori wards building steadily in recent years with the numbers of people supporting the Māori wards growing significantly. Communities that have just voted to remove their wards did so with an average of around 41% of voters wanting to keep the Māori wards, compared to 27% support for wards in previous referenda. (Source: Janine Hayward, University of Otago.) This shift towards supporting Māori wards shows that the efforts of groups and individuals who have worked hard to explain the benefits of Māori wards to their communities has been effective! Tino pai rawa atu!
How many Maori Wards does each council have?
The number of Māori Wards in each district is decided by a formula in the Local Electoral Act 2001 based on the ratio of Māori electoral population to the total electoral population.
Why Māori Wards deliver better outcomes
Māori Wards deliver better decisions for our Communities and
Environment
Māori Wards have been viewed by nearly all Councils as a positive addition by bringing in Māori culture, knowledge and ways of life. It has also meant that Councils have become a better reflection of our communities and the Māori Ward councillors have helped Councils make better, long-term decisions.
Māori Ward Councillors are typically guided by the principles of manaaki (care, generosity, aroha) for all people, and kaitiakitanga (protection, guardianship) of the natural world. They can also bring a deep connection to the place and people in a local area - often for hundreds of years.
Māori Ward Councillors have worked together with their fellow Councillors to help protect local waterways, native wildlife and precious places in their area. They’ve also driven policies that benefit everyone, such as improving accessibility to our community facilities.
Māori Wards help implement Te Tiriti/The Treaty for all of us
Section 4 of the Local Government Act 2002 obliges Councils to take certain actions to recognise & respect the Governments obligations under Te Tiriti/ the Treaty. These obligations include maintaining & improving opportunities for Māori to contribute to local government decision making processes. Māori Wards do exactly this.
Māori Wards are good for business
Māori Wards enable Māori Councillors to raise & resolve cultural & environmental concerns early in Council planning processes. As a result, businesses have much greater certainty in what they can do when expanding their businesses. And may in appropriate situations not even need to consult with Māori.
Treating Māori Wards differently to Rural Wards is unfair
The Government has argued that the establishment of Māori Wards is a decision for individual ratepayers rather than elected Councillors. And that existing Rural Wards (which represent rural voters only) were different because their boundaries etc could be challenged through the Local Government Commission. But the Government refused to consider whether Māori Wards could be treated in exactly the same way or accept that treating Māori Wards and Rural Wards differently is unfair.
Councils Holding A Referendum
42 Councils have decided to keep their Māori Wards and as a result they have to hold a referendum this year. The number of Māori Wards in each district is decided by a formula in the Local Electoral Act 2001 based on the ratio of Māori electoral population to the total electoral population.
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Northland Regional Council
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Far North District Council
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Whangārei District Council
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Hauraki District Council
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Thames- Coromandel District Council
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Matamata-Piako District Council
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Waikato District Council
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Hamilton City Council
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Waipa District Council
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Otorohanga District Council
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Western Bay of Plenty District Council
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Whakatāne District Council
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Kawerau District Council
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Rotorua Lakes District Council
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Taupō District Council
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Gisborne District Council
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Hawke's Bay Regional Council
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Napier City Council
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Hastings District Council
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Central Hawke's Bay District Council
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Taraua District Council
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Rangitīkei District Council
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Ruapehu District Council
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Manawatū – Wanganui Regional Council
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Whanganui District Council
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Manawatū District Council
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Palmerston North City Council
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Taranaki Regional Council
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New Plymouth District Council
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Stratford District Council
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South Taranaki District Council
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Horowhenua District Council
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Kāpiti Coast District Council
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Porirua City Council
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Greater Wellington Regional Council
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Hutt City Council
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Wellington City Council
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Masterton District Council
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South Wairarapa District Council
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Nelson City Council
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Tasman District Council
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Marlborough District Council
Council’s Abolishing or Not Establishing Māori Wards
The following Councils voted to either disestablish or not establish Māori Wards
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Kaipara District Council
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Upper Hutt City Council
Councils Excluded from the Referendum
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Bay of Plenty Regional Council - local legislation enables Māori constituency
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Opōtiki District Council – previously met the referendum provisions
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Waikato Regional Council - previously met the referendum provisions
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Wairoa District Council - previously met the referendum provisions
Councils Not Subject to Referendum
Not every Council has a Māori Ward as they have other arrangements to represent Māori voices e.g. iwi appointed Councillors or representatives. This is particularly common in Ngai Tahu’s rohe in the South Island ;
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Kaipara District council
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Auckland City Council
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Ōpōtiki District Council
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Wairoa District Council
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Carterton District Council
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Kaikōura District council
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Hurunui District council
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Environment Canterbury
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Christchurch City Council
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Selwyn District Council
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Ashburton District Council
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Timaru District Council
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Mackenzie District Council
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Waimate District Council
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Waitaki District Council
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Queenstown- Lakes District Council
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Dunedin City Council
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Central Otago District Council
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Clutha District Council
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Otago Regional Council
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Gore District Council
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Southland District Council
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Invercargill City Council
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West Coast Regional Council
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Westland District Council
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Buller District Council
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Grey District Council
How Do I Vote in the referendum
The referendum on Māori Wards is part of the local body elections that close on 11 October 2025. There will be a specific question about the Wards if your Council is one of the 42 holding a Referendum.
This is what the Vote 2025 (www.votelocal.co.nz) says...
“Anyone who is currently enrolled can vote in local elections where they live and have a say on the people who will make decisions on what happens in your region over the next three years. In New Zealand, all local body elections are held by postal vote.
Voters who are enrolled on the Māori electoral roll or the general electoral roll by Friday 1 August 2025 will receive their voting document in the mail. People can still enrol after this date but they will need to cast a special vote.
The local authority elections are postal elections. Voting documents will be delivered from Tuesday 9 to Monday 22 September and include a free return envelope.
It is recommended votes be posted back to a street receiver post box by Tuesday 7 October 2025 to ensure councils get them before the close of voting.
After 7 October 2025, votes are able to be returned to councils’ secure ballot boxes in council facilities, Woolworths Supermarkets and selected Fresh Choice, Super Value, Pak’n Save, New World, Four Square, stores.
More information about this will be on councils’ websites closer to the election. The close of voting is midday on Saturday 11 October 2025”.
What Can I Do?
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Vote to keep Māori Wards if you are in one of the 42 Councils holding a referendum
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Vote for candidates that support Māori Wards & Te Tiriti / the Treaty
And it would be great if you have talked to your friends and family about the importance of voting to keep Māori Wards.
What You Need To Know about the Referendum on Māori Wards
Why are we even having a Referendum ?
Historically, Māori as a minority, have found it difficult to get a seat on Councils and be involved in local decision-making. For example, last year, a Māori Councillor from the New Plymouth District Council advised she was only the second Māori person ever elected to her Council. This is despite the fact that the Council has been operating in various forms since 1853 and Māori are 20 % of the local population.
Unlike Rural Wards, Māori Wards could only be created if there was a local referendum that supported them. Māori Wards were first introduced by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council in 2001. But subsequent attempts to introduce Māori Wards were defeated in referendum’s in New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Western Bay of Plenty, Whakatāne, Manawatū and Kaikōura.
Referendums are not a good mechanism to ensure minority rights. The former Mayor of New Plymouth, Andrew Judd recently said the process of allowing the majority to determine political and human rights of New Zealand’s indigenous minority was “divisive, hurtful and fuelled by anti-Māori rhetoric.” He also noted that when he spoke to Prince (now King) Charles about Māori ward seats in 2015, the King replied “ Māori must always be at the top decision-making table.”
The Labour-led Coalition Government sought to address this lack of Māori representation in 2021 by removing the requirement for the referendums to establish Māori Wards because no other special types of ward such as Rural Wards had required a referendum.
As a result of this change, a year later in the 2022 local elections, six of eleven Regional Council (54%) and 29 of 67 (43% ) of District and City Councils had Māori Wards.
But the current National-led Government introduced the Local Government (Māori Wards) Amendment Act 2024 to require Councils that had previously bought in Māori Wards without holding a referendum of their voters to;
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hold a binding referendum at this year’s Council elections about whether they should have Māori Wards; or
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abolish their existing Māori Wards
The current Government does not consider that a lack of Māori representation breaches the partnership principle under the Treaty of Waitangi.
Our Founding Members
Mike Sleigh
I am a fifth-generation Pākehā New Zealander. I have worked with iwi throughout my career in private investment, corporate management (Meridian Energy) and as an RMA lawyer (Chapman Tripp, Russell McVeagh). I believe that if we want a harmonious, diverse and prosperous future for our children and grandchildren, then we must stand by our founding agreement, as we would any other contract we entered into.
Victoria Elworthy
I grew up in the Bay of Plenty and I am a fifth generation Pākehā with Māori heritage. While I did not have the opportunity to connect to my iwi during my childhood, I am fostering a deep personal connection to te Ao Māori as I grow older. I am involved because I believe The Treaty Principles Bill is trying to fix a problem that doesn’t exist and instead will undo 50 years of progress causing division and harm.
Rachel Russell
I am a Pākehā whose ancestors came here from England in the 1800’s. As a descendent of the Williams missionaries who were involved in translating the Treaty and gathering signatures to Te Tiriti, I feel a responsibility to advocate for it to be honoured. I see The Treaty as the foundation for unity and collective wellbeing here. For me, finding ways to realise it in our everyday life is not just a Māori issue, but a shared responsibility and opportunity for us all who live in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Heidi Sommerville
Based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, I joined Kiwis for the Treaty because I love our country and think our strength comes from our relationships and in working together. I was brought up in Titahi Bay, Porirua with a predominately Pākehā world view and it has only been in the last few years, spurred on by my now adult children, that I have begun to reconnect with my taha Māori and iwi, Rangitāne o Wairau. This has changed how I think about the world and how success can be measured. I believe it is vital to honour our founding agreement as we all benefit from the constitutional, environmental and community protections it provides.
Lisa Caughey
I am also a fifth generation Pakeha born and raised in Auckland. I practised commercial law for some years but retail is where my heart is, and I have a store in Auckland “The Fantail House” that sells the work of Kiwi creatives and artisans. Our customers are people from all over the world. I have always had a strong connection to the environment and the Māori concept of Kaitiakitanga, environmental guardianship resonates deeply with me. I support the Treaty as our foundation agreement. I
support the ideal made legal by the Treaty, that Māori and Pakeha work and live as one people, both respecting each other’s world views. Together, in respect and understanding we will all thrive.
Belinda Wallace
I grew up in Whanganui and live in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington. I am Pākehā and am grateful that my ancestors came to New Zealand where through Te Tiriti o Waitangi they could settle and we could live alongside Māori in this beautiful land. I have joined Kiwis for the Treaty because I am concerned about the Regulatory Standards Bill and other legislation that would undermine Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Rather than having to defend the Treaty, I hope we can turn the kōrero to the exciting future of our partnership.