Judy Gill
Congratulations, residents of the new Māori ward councils – just watch as rates climb, property values fall and a full cultural bureaucracy moves in. You’ll see more te reo road signs, karakia before every meeting and a few taniwha to appease before any construction begins. And if you’ve got school-aged children, check your zoning now – these areas will surely become magnets for ideological schooling and activist curriculum presented under the banner of ‘inclusion’.
After years of moral lecturing and bureaucratic pressure, voters across New Zealand have finally been asked whether they want Māori-based representation written into local government – and the answer was largely no. In the 2025 referenda, 42 councils put the question to their communities. Twenty-five voted to remove the wards, while 17 voted to keep them – a rejection rate of about 60 per cent.
Supporters said the wards would improve representation. Opponents argued that guaranteed seats divided voters by ancestry and undermined equality at the ballot box. The results show that a clear majority of councils prefer to keep one democratic standard for everyone.
Across the country – from Whakatāne and New Plymouth to Rotorua and Hawke’s Bay – ratepayers can now expect a return to open competition for council seats. In the minority of districts that kept the system, the cultural compliance costs will continue to grow. Every new project will need consultation, extra staff and new paperwork – each step justified as being ‘inclusive’.
Meetings will begin with karakia and the minutes will end with ceremony. Invoices will land in mailboxes soon after. As rates rise, investors will look elsewhere and property confidence will weaken.
The flow-on effects won’t stop at council chambers. Zoning changes influence schools and ideological agendas tend to follow. Parents who value academic basics over activism will think twice before buying in areas where governance and curriculum start to blur.
None of this is a surprise: it’s the logical outcome of treating racial identity as a credential. Democracy relies on one rule for everyone, not a patchwork of privileges. The 2025 referendum results reminded the country of that principle – quietly, firmly and through the ballot box.
Appendix – Factual Data and Council Results
National Summary
- 42 councils held binding referendums on whether to keep or remove the wards or constituencies.
- 25 councils (~ 60 per cent) voted to remove them.
- 17 councils (~ 40 per cent) voted to keep them.
- Source: Wikipedia – 2025 New Zealand local referendums on wards and constituencies; NZ Herald Election Results, 11 Oct 2025.
Clarified Totals
- 42 councils held referendums.
- 25 councils voted to remove the wards.
- 17 councils voted to keep them, plus Hastings District Council, which affirmed its ward in August 2024 ahead of the 2025 election.
- That brings the total number of councils continuing with wards in 2025 to 18 – 17 by referendum and one by council resolution (Hastings).
Councils That Voted to Keep (17)
1. Rotorua Lakes Council
2. Whakatāne District Council
3. Kawerau District Council
4. Gisborne District Council
5. Ruapehu District Council
6. Whanganui District Council
7. Palmerston North City Council
8. Hutt City Council
9. Kāpiti Coast District Council
10. South Wairarapa District Council
11. Masterton District Council
12. Wellington City Council
13. Porirua City Council
14. Nelson City Council
15. Hamilton City Council
16. Far North District Council
17. Greater Wellington Regional Council
