Upper Hutt City Council has voted to establish a Māori ward from the 2028 local elections. Council made the decision at its meeting on Wednesday 26 August as part of its 2026 Representation Review.

The decision was supported by seven councillors, with three voting against.

A Māori ward provides a dedicated representative for voters enrolled on the Māori Electoral Roll. Based on Upper Hutt’s current Māori roll, the change would provide for one Māori ward councillor.  Like all councillors, the person elected would make decisions in the interests of the city as a whole.

Mayor Peri Zee said Council considered a range of information before making its decision, including community feedback and the views of mana whenua and Ōrongomai Marae.

“In my experience in local government, having a Te Ao Māori perspective around the Council table strengthens our discussions and contributes to better decision-making to the benefit of the whole community.”

Council received 340 responses to its recent engagement on Māori wards, with 57.6% supporting the establishment of a Māori ward, 36.8% opposed and 5.6% neutral or unsure.

The survey was self-selected and included anonymous responses. The results provide an indication of participants’ views rather than statistically representative public opinion.

Council previously resolved in November 2023 to establish a Māori ward for the 2025 and 2028 elections. Following legislative changes in 2024 that required a binding poll, Council rescinded that decision in August 2024, and the 2025 election proceeded under the existing representation arrangements.

Voters also have the statutory right to demand a binding poll on Council’s decision. A valid demand would require the support of at least 1,698 eligible electors. Council will shortly issue the required public notice setting out the poll-demand process and statutory requirements.

As part of Wednesday’s meeting, Council also agreed to retain First Past the Post (FPP) for the 2028 and 2031 elections. Six councillors voted to retain FPP, while four voted in favour of the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system.

Further decisions on Upper Hutt’s representation arrangements, including the number and structure of wards, the number of councillors and whether to have community boards, will be made as the Representation Review progresses.

You can watch the Wednesday 26 August council meeting here.

Source: Upper Hutt City Council

27/08/26