Many councils across New Zealand elect representatives based on wards. This is to reflect the main communities of interest in the district that need a seat at a council table to effectively represent the whole district.
Māori wards are based on the same principle and function in the same way, but rather than using a geographic boundary, the voters in a Māori ward are identified by their choice of electoral roll. Those on the Māori roll can only vote for candidates standing in the Māori wards as this reflects that particular community of interest – just as voters in a particular general ward can only vote for the candidate(s) standing in that ward. However, all electors can vote for the Mayor regardless of ward arrangements.
The ability to have Māori wards has been developed to enable Māori participation in local government decision-making. Council must, under the Local Government Act, Resource Management Act and Local Electoral Act, provide opportunities for Māori to contribute to local government decision-making processes. These provisions underpin the wider partnership principles contained in Te Tiriti o Waitangi/Treaty of Waitangi.
