Nepe Apatu, voted onto Central Hawke’s Bay’s Rautahi Māori ward, said her campaign was built around the values she was brought up with – working together as one.
“To think that the majority of people voted to remove Māori wards was a slap in the face,” she said.
“I’m shocked and reeling that the beautiful community I know now has this new undercurrent. I didn’t think it was like that.”
Nepe Apatu said she would be campaigning to bring it back every chance she had.
“It’s disappointing, but it’s not the end.
“We might lose the Māori seat next term, but we will be pushing for it every term after that. Change is inevitable.”
Nepe Apatu sat for a year as the Pou Whirinaki (Māori adviser) on the Central Hawke’s Bay District Council before running for the Māori seat.
She said she wanted to uplift the entire community, not just Māori.
“What’s good for everyone is good for Māori.”
McIlroy, from Wairoa, won the Māui ki te Raki Māori ward seat for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council.
She said she plans to make the most of the three-year term and had two main goals, restoring the mana of the wai (water) of the region and making sure there was a survivable climate change plan for her town.
“When the river breached during Cyclone Gabrielle and I saw water pouring through the showgrounds, I knew I had to warn the community.
“I never want to go through that again. If I only have three years to achieve that, I’m up for it.
“I have a clear understanding of how things work and as long as we have a fair say in the chamber, I’ll be there representing my people and my town.”
She said she took her hat off to those people who campaigned for Māori wards.
“It’s a big improvement on how things used to be.”
She was elated when she found out she had won the seat, but also realised the enormity of the responsibility.
“At the core of everything we do is aroha and manaakitanga, looking after the people.”
Raihania, one of Napier’s Te Whanga Māori Ward councillors, said she decided to stand to ensure the people of Ahuriri - Māori, rangatahi, and whānau who have long been under-represented - had a strong, unapologetic voice at the decision-making table.
Her focus for the term would be on building pathways for equitable housing, youth empowerment, and climate resilience.
“The outcome of the referendum may have gone against us, but the kōrero it sparked cannot be undone.
“It’s awakened something in our communities, Māori and non-Māori alike, who see that the future of our city must be one where everyone has a seat at the table.”
The referendums were spurred by the Government’s passing of the Local Government (Electoral Legislation and Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Act 2024.
This reinstated the requirement that councils must hold referendums before establishing Māori wards, which the previous Labour Government had removed.
Wairoa was the only council in Hawke’s Bay that was not part of the nationwide referendum, because it had already held one.
In 2019, Wairoa District Council became the first in New Zealand with a specific Māori ward as a result of a poll at the local elections three years earlier.
Hastings District Council and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council introduced Māori seats in 2022, and Central Hawke’s Bay District Council and Napier City Council in 2025.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
