What you need to know about Māori wards

The topic of Māori wards is back in the news cycle after a bill introduced by the coalition government passed its third reading in Parliament.

It will require councils that brought in Māori wards without polling residents to hold one, or scrap the ones they had set up.

The Local Government (Māori Wards) Amendment Bill came out of a commitment in the coalition agreements with both ACT and NZ First.

Councils that established Māori wards without a referendum will now have to hold a binding poll alongside the 2025 local body elections.

The results of those referendums would be binding and take effect from the 2028 local government term.

But what exactly is a Māori ward and what do people think of them?

Here's what you need to know.

What is a Māori ward?

According to Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ), Māori wards allow Māori to be part of decision-making and have representation on local councils.

LGNZ says having such wards is one way for councils to honour the partnership principle committed to in Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Those who are enrolled on the Māori electoral roll vote for candidates standing for Māori wards to represent them, LGNZ says.

"The successful Māori ward candidates will become councillors at council. Councillors have a responsibility to represent their communities. Māori ward councillors will have a particular responsibility to represent people of Māori descent and bring forward Māori views and aspirations. However, they also represent the entire community in a region, city or district."

The former Labour government abolished the referenda for Māori wards in 2022 as no other types of wards, such as rural wards, went to a vote.

LGNZ president Sam Broughton told RNZ in April all wards should be treated the same - and the legislation being introduced by government was "a complete overreach".

"This is a coalition government that prided itself on talking about localism ahead of the election," he said.

"Councils are more than capable of making these decisions themselves ... and this is a backwards step."

In February, Broughton told RNZ local decisions should be left up to local councils.

"We made the same case last time this was changed. It's not that we're saying there should be Māori wards or that there shouldn't be Māori wards. We're just saying when that decision is made by council it shouldn't be subject to referenda when no other ward or constituency decision needs to go to referenda also."

He said Māori wards had helped improve indigenous representation on councils.

"Since 2019, when the representation of Māori on local government was about 14 percent, we've now seen that lift to just over 20 percent at the last election."

He said claims Māori wards gave Māori more votes than anyone else were wrong.

What is the government saying about Māori wards?

On 30 July, Minister of Local Government Simeon Brown said it was a "great day for democracy" as the bill passed it third reading.

Brown said "divisive changes" were introduced by the previous Labour government that "denied" local communities the ability to determine whether to establish local Māori wards in their communities.

"They took away the voices of local communities across the country and undermined the principles of democracy," he said.

The government announced the move in April, with ACT Party leader David Seymour celebrating it.

In a statement, he said the decision should lie with "the communities themselves, not Wellington".

"Labour stripped democracy from local government by removing the ability to call for a local referendum on Māori wards, and the government is restoring voters' voices," he said.

What do opposition parties think?

Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori voted against the bill.

Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins slammed the bill, saying the coalition government was "embarrassing" New Zealand.

"Once again Māori are being singled out by this government for discriminatory treatment.

"This is a government that is determined to "other" Māori within their own country. They see Māori as a people to be put back in their place."

Hipkins said the bill was another example of the government seeking to "divide" Māori and non-Māori New Zealanders, in a way that "we have not seen in this country for a generation".

Wairarapa-based Labour MP Kieran McAnulty labelled the reversal "utterly shameful".

As reported by Local Democracy Reporting, McAnulty said the government was putting local councils in an "impossible situation" having to fund referendums.

LDR said it would cost Masterton District Council $35,000.

"Given the financial struggles facing councils and ratepayers, it's the last thing they need," McAnulty said.

Te Pāti Māori MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi also spoke strongly against the bill saying the coalition government was masking the removal of Māori wards behind the "absolute lie that is democracy in this country".

"I want them to know that we see you ... we Māori see you. We know what you are doing, and just understand this: we are ready.

"The removal of Māori wards is merely another open invite to racists across this whenua to the open season against te Iwi Māori."

How have local councils responded to the change?

LDR reported just days ago that Kaipara District Council could become the first to scrap its Māori ward under the new legislation.

Mayor Craig Jepson has called for an extraordinary meeting to discuss the topic on Wednesday and said he would be voting to get rid of it.

Kaipara District Council Te Moananui o Kaipara Māori ward councillor Pera Paniora told LDR she thought the majority would vote alongside the mayor.

She was sad Jepson could not see the value te iwi Māori brought to the council.

"Our people share the same vision of prosperity," she told LDR.

"Our tupuna Tiopira and Te Rore donated land for [Dargaville's] roads, Parore for the hospital, the church, the water plant that feeds the town, the racecourse, Kai Iwi lakes - the list goes on.

"The council has not spoken to our people, our marae, our iwi or our hapū. It hasn't even spoken to the community on whether or not they want to keep it. How is that democratic?"

Marlborough mayor Nadine Taylor confirmed to LDR the council would vote on Māori wards before the 6 September deadline.

Most of the council voted in favour of establishing a Māori ward in May 2021 and the region's first Māori ward councillor said the need to vote on a referendum was frustrating and heartbreaking.

"I am disappointed, I am frustrated, I am over the actions of our coalition government," Allanah Burgess (Te Ātiawa, Ngāi Tahu), told LDR.

"Their discriminatory treatment of Māori is leading to further division of Māori and non-Māori communities.

"While a referendum may be seen as a democratic process, it is deeply troubling that Māori are being singled out in this manner."

Meanwhile, Kāpiti Coast District Council has re-affirmed its decision to establish a Māori ward.

Mayor Janet Holborow said doing so supported the position of the council's mana whenua partners and will ensure Māori have greater access to decision-making at a local level.

"It also supports the position of Local Government New Zealand who have stated that reversing councils' ability to decide on Māori wards without polls is an overreach by central government and unfairly singles out Māori voters," she said.

Iwi leaders upset

On Friday, Ngāpuhi leaders walked out of a meeting with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in a protest over coalition government policies.

Chairman Mane Tahere said the delegation would not sit in the room in silence with a government it said was running roughshod over Māori.

There was frustration and dissatisfaction over the way the government was treating Māori, he said.

Tahere cited issues like Māori wards as one of the reasons for the upset.