# 2025 New Zealand local referendums on Māori wards and constituencies

The 2025 New Zealand local referendums on Māori wards and constituencies are upcoming referendums to be held on 11 October 2025 alongside that year's local elections, on the question of whether to have dedicated Māori wards and constituencies on local councils.

## Background

The referendums were spurred by the ruling National-led coalition government's passing of the Local Government (Electoral Legislation and Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Act 2024, reinstating the requirement that councils must hold referendums before establishing Māori wards that the previous Labour government had removed. Councils that had introduced Māori wards without holding a referendum were required to hold a poll at the 2025 elections if they wished to keep them.
Only two of the 45 councils with current or proposed Māori wards voted against holding a poll to determine their future. Several councils said they wanted to look into legal advice with regards to ignoring the government's requirement to hold polls. Tauranga City Council is not holding a referendum because they already held local elections recently in 2024. The cost of the referendums was projected to be over $2 million.
Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua appealed the decision of the Kaipara District Council to abolish its Māori wards rather than hold a referendum, losing in the High Court in December 2024. Kaipara District Council and Upper Hutt City Council were the only 2 to abolish existing or planned Māori wards.
The referendums followed a period of increased pro-Māori activism (including Hīkoi mō te Tiriti), spurred on by perceived anti-Māori policies by central government.

## Endorsements
### Mayors

| For Y (Keep) | Against N (Repeal) |
| Toby Adams (Hauraki) Jacqui Church (Waikato) Sandra Hazlehurst (Hastings) Craig Little (Wairoa) Moko Tepania (Far North) Alex Walker (Central Hawke's Bay) Kirsten Wise (Napier) | Craig Jepson (Kaipara) |

## Results

Results (TBD) :
* Council
* Territorial authorities ||||||||
* Far North District Council
* Whangarei District Council
* Hauraki District Council
* Thames-Coromandel District Council
* Matamata-Piako District Council
* Waikato District Council
* Hamilton City Council
* Waipa District Council
* Ōtorohanga District Council
* Western Bay of Plenty District Council
* Whakatane District Council
* Kawerau District Council
* Rotorua Lakes District Council
* Taupo District Council
* Gisborne District Council
* Hastings District Council
* Napier City Council
* Central Hawke's Bay District Council
* Tararua District Council
* Rangitikei District Council
* Ruapehu District Council
* Whanganui District Council
* Manawatu District Council
* Palmerston North City Council
* New Plymouth District Council
* Stratford District Council
* South Taranaki District Council
* Horowhenua District Council
* Kapiti Coast District Council
* Porirua City Council
* Hutt City Council
* Wellington City Council
* Masterton District Council
* South Wairarapa District Council
* Nelson City Council
* Tasman District Council
* Marlborough District Council
* Regional councils ||||||||
* Northland Regional Council
* Hawke's Bay Regional Council
* Manawatu-Wanganui Regional Council
* Taranaki Regional Council
* Greater Wellington Regional Council
* Totals