Māori wards in Tairāwhiti face critical vote in 2025 local elections

The first contingent of Māori ward councillors at Gisborne District Council are Aubrey Ria, Rhonda Tibble, Nick Tupara, Rawinia Parata and Ani Pahuru-Huriwai. The council voted to retain the wards, but next year a referendum will be held to decide their future. Photo / Josie McClutchie

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air

Tairāwhiti community members who have been vocal about their view on Māori wards are looking forward to the referendum at next year’s local body elections, seeing it as a chance to promote the importance of the wards and democratic process.

Earlier this month, Gisborne District Council voted to retain Māori wards at the 2025 local body election, but at the same time hold a referendum that will ask whether to keep Māori wards.

This process was caused by the Government’s introduction of the Māori wards amendment bill, which requires local councils to decide whether to retain the wards or disestablish them if they were created without a poll post-2020.

In November 2020, the council decided to establish Māori wards and it publicly notified its decision.

The Local Electoral Act (2001) created the option for Maōri wards, but they could be challenged by a petition: if 5% of the council’s population signed, a binding referendum on whether or not to establish a Māori ward would be held.

Of the 24 councils that tried to create Māori wards before 2021, only two were successful.

After the last Labour Government removed this ability to petition and require a binding referendum in 2021, dozens of councils around the country introduced Māori wards.

Gisborne’s Māori ward councillors are Aubrey Ria, Nick Tupara, Ani Pahuru-Huriwai, Rawinia Parata and Rhonda Tibble, who have voiced their support for the retention of Māori wards.

Haley Maxwell, who has organised the Tairāwhiti Te Pāti Māori hīkoi, works with rangatahi at Tautua Village and is vocal about Māori rights, said the challenge now was for the community to educate, engage and encourage the next generation, those turning 18, to vote.

Haley Maxwell is urging rangatahi to get prepared to vote in next year's local body election and help retain Māori wards. Photo / Matai O'Connor

“If Māori are the majority here in Tairāwhiti, then we should easily win the poll to retain Māori wards in our region. But as we know, it is not always the case, as our own don’t usually vote,” Maxwell said.

“For those of us in influential positions in our community, youth workers, teachers or just family members, or who have a large social media presence, we have a responsibility to ensure that we are doing whatever we can to prepare our rangatahi and our community now. Next year is too late, kia kaha tātou.”

Maxwell urges all rangatahi who turn 18 before the election to prepare to vote and make the decision they believe best represents them.

In Tairāwhiti, the latest census data shows 56% of those living in the region are of Māori descent and 70.4 per cent of those under 25 in the region are Māori.

Lara Meyer, who helped organise a petition in 2021 in support of Māori wards, said she had been participating in Zui organised by ActionStation (an independent crowdfunded, community campaigning organisation) over the last few months to learn about ways to protect Māori wards.

Lara Meyer, who identifies as Tangata Tiriti, with her husband Mark Brown, support Māori wards and will work to retain them.

“I believe it is critically important for us to have specific Māori representation on council. We have had rural wards to represent the interests of farmers and Māori need a strong presence on our council to make sure that the interests and voices of Māori whānau and hapū are given the same weight as those of the rural community.

“Other wards are not subject to a referendum in order to be set up. Subjecting Māori wards to a referendum is discriminatory and frankly racist,” she said.

“A referendum on Māori wards, further emboldens racists who reside here and provides opportunities for a small group of well-funded vocal people to stoke division. I worry about how our rangatahi and tamariki must feel when they are exposed to racism.

“When Māori thrive, we all thrive,” she said.

Clive Bibby, who previously advocated for a binding poll in 2021, said: “Those claiming Māori heritage in order to get access to the Māori roll are already well serviced with options allowing their voices to be heard at the decision-making table.

Clive Bibby is looking forward to next year's referendum.

“If a referendum clearly shows a majority vote in favour, I would happily support it being introduced here. That is democracy in action.”

The results of the 2025 referendum will come into effect at the 2028 local body elections.

Matai O’Connor, Ngāti Porou, has been a journalist for five years and Kaupapa Māori reporter at the Gisborne Herald for two years.