In the Māori Ward Referendum you’ll vote to either keep or remove our Māori Ward for the next 2 elections in 2028 and 2031.
You’ll vote in the referendum at the same time as you vote in our council elections. Voting opens on 9 September and closes at noon on Saturday 11 October.
The candidate who wins the 1 Māori Ward seat in our upcoming elections will sit on council until the next elections in 2028. After that, the future of the ward is up to all of us.
Wards help people get representation around the council table.
Stratford district is divided into three wards:
- Māori (1 seat)
- Rural (4 seats)
- Urban (6 seats)
This helps ensure there’s a good mix of people around the council table, representing the different areas and interests within our community.
Our Māori Ward gives Māori community members a voice in council, just like the Rural Ward ensures rural communities are represented, and the same goes for the Urban Ward.
Although councillors are elected through a ward, they swear an oath to serve the whole district. That gives us a team of people in council all working for the good of the district, but with each person able to bring their own unique perspective to the table.
1 vote in our Māori Ward has roughly the same weight as 1 vote in our Rural or Urban wards.
The number of seats in each ward is set using a formula that ensures a vote in one ward is roughly equal in value to a vote in another.
We have 1 Māori Ward seat. That’s based on the total number of councillors (excluding the mayor), the proportion of voters on our Māori roll compared to the general roll, and fair representation rules under local government legislation.
Things can change over time, so to make sure we continue to achieve fair representation for our district, we carry out a Representation Review every six years which looks at the total number of councillors and how they’re elected. Our next review will be in 2027.
People on our Māori roll have 1 ward vote and 1 vote for mayor.
If you’re voting in the Māori Ward you don’t also get to vote for your preferred Rural or Urban ward candidates. Just like if you’re voting in the Rural Ward, you don’t also get to vote in the Māori Ward, even if you whakapapa Māori.
