More New Zealanders voted to keep Māori wards than to remove them. But, across Aotearoa, more councils will now lose those wards.
This referenda showed the contradiction, where the national vote supported Māori representation, but local structures overruled it.
The Numbers Tell Two Different Stories
Across the 42 councils that held binding Māori ward referenda:
– 416,179 voters (52.25 %) supported keeping Māori wards
– 385,067 voters (48.34 %) voted to remove them
– But 25 councils out of 42 recorded local majorities to abolish Māori wards
– 17 councils voted to retain them
In other words, if this had been a national referendum, like a general election, Māori wards would have survived.
Instead, under the council-by-council system, smaller districts with predominantly non-Māori populations tipped the overall result. The majority will of voters nationally was overridden by localised majorities.
Who Voted – And Who Didn’t
The referenda were open to all voters in each council area, not just Māori-roll electors. That means non-Māori voters held decisive power over whether Māori representation continued.
Turnout data shows the familiar pattern of low local engagement:
– In 2022, average local election turnout across the motu was around 40 %
– Early reports from 2025 suggest turnout dropped further, with some areas below 35 %
– Detailed Māori-roll participation rates are not yet published, but historically sit lower than general roll turnout
That means most eligible voters – Māori, tangata tiriti – stayed home. In some councils, like Otorohanga and South Taranaki, fewer than half of those enrolled actually voted in a poll deciding whether Māori would retain their democratic voice.
Urban Support, Rural Resistance
The pattern was clear. In large urban centres: Wellington, Hamilton, Rotorua, and Hutt City, voters supported retaining Māori wards by strong margins.
In Wellington City, for example, 62 % voted to keep Māori representation. These areas also have larger Māori populations and higher Treaty literacy.
But in smaller and more rural councils, from Hawke’s Bay to South Taranaki, Ōtorohanga to Thames-Coromandel, majorities voted to remove Māori wards. Many of these communities have lower Māori enrolment and older, Pākehā-dominant electorates.
That geographic divide has created an uneven democratic landscape: Māori will retain direct representation in the cities, but lose it in much of rural Aotearoa.
A System That Divides Votes, Not Power
Constitutional observers note the paradox: if all votes were counted nationally, as they are in a general election, Māori wards would remain. Instead, the fragmented local system ensures that smaller non-Māori majorities can collectively overturn Māori representation, even against the broader public vote.
A Test of Te Tiriti in Local Democracy
The Government’s 2024 law change reinstated the requirement for binding polls on Māori wards, effectively putting Māori political participation back to public vote. That decision has now produced a result where the majority of voters nationally supported Māori wards, but Māori still lose seats across 25 councils.
For Māori communities, this is less about statistics and more about trust. If a majority can vote away another people’s voice, what does democracy mean for Te Tiriti partners?
Key Data Summary
Councils holding referenda | 42 |
Councils voting to retain Māori wards | 17 |
Councils voting to remove Māori wards | 27 |
Votes to retain | 416,179 (52.25 %) |
Votes to remove | 385,067 (48.34 %) |
Average local election turnout |35–40 % |
Majority national outcome (if combined) | Māori wards retained |
At the national level, Māori democracy won. At the local level, it lost.
If local government operated like a general election, Māori wards would have survived. Instead, Māori representation has again been left to the mercy of those least affected by its removal.
