The results of the Māori ward referendums have made one thing crystal clear: common sense still exists in parts of New Zealand, but not everywhere. Twenty-five councils across the country voted to remove Māori wards by 2028. Seventeen, however, chose to keep them. Those seventeen councils are a national embarrassment.
It’s no surprise to see the Far North keeping them. Up here, where Māori make up a the majority of the population, the outcome was predictable. What these decisions show is not strength, not pride, and certainly not progress. It shows a lack of faith in Māori themselves.
The only message Māori wards send is this: Māori cannot get into councils on merit alone. That is absolute rubbish. Māori have proven time and time again that they are capable of excelling in every field imaginable, from business and politics to crime statistics. Māori do not need a political handout to succeed.
Creating separate wards does nothing but divide people and cheapen the achievements of Māori who have worked hard to earn their place. Māori wards are patronising, condescending, and rooted in the same paternalistic thinking that activists claim to despise. It is the modern-day equivalent of patting Māori on the head and saying, “Don’t worry, we’ll make room for you, cuzzie.”
For years we have been told that equality means treating everyone the same, yet these councils are voting for separation based purely on race. How is that progress? Democracy is meant to be about one person, one vote, one standard for all. Māori wards spit in the face of that principle.
Then there is Wellington. Tory Whanau, who rated her own mayoral performance a laughable 9 out of 10, could not even convince voters in the Māori ward to back her. Matthew Reweti beat her easily. That speaks volumes. If even Māori voters did not want her near the council table again, it is a damning reflection of how far she has fallen. Do not be surprised if she pops up next on a Green Party ticket, trying to reinvent herself yet again
.
At the end of the day, those councils who had the courage to scrap Māori wards should be commended. They listened to the people and stood up for the principle of equality. The others? They have bowed to tokenism and division, pandering to a political ideology that is doing nothing but tearing this country apart.
New Zealand should be striving to unite, not separate. If you truly believe in Māori capability and mana, then trust Māori to earn their place in democracy the same way everyone else does. Because anything less is not representation, it is an insult.
Who said no?
Hawkes Bay Regional Council
Horizons Regional Council
Northland Regional Council
Taranaki Regional Council
Central Hawke’s Bay District Council
Hauraki District Council
Hastings District Council
Horowhenua District Council
Malborough District Council
Manawatū District Council
Masteron District Council
Matamata-Piako District Council
Napier City Council
New Plymouth District Council
Ōtorohanga District Council
Rangitikei District Council
South Taranaki District Council
Stratford District Council
Tararua District Council
Tasman District Council
Taupō District Council
Thames-Coromandel District Council
Waikato District Council
Waipā District Council
Whangārei District Council
Who said yes?
Greater Wellington Regional Council
Far North District Council
Gisborne District Council
Hamilton City Council
Hutt City Council
Kāpiti Coast District Council
Kawerau District Council
Nelson City Council
Palmerston North City Council
Porirua City Council
Rotorua District Council
Ruapehu District Council
South Wairarapa District Council
Whakatāne District Council
Whanganui District Council
Wellington City Council
Western Bay of Plenty District Council
Some of these results are subject to change due to special votes still being counted.
.
stop calling them maori wards, theyre for iwi not every day maori.