Decide Together, Thrive Together.
Christians for Keeping Māori Wards.
In October 2025, 43 local authorities will hold referenda about whether to keep Māori wards, alongside their local body elections. As the Church was pivotal in shaping the Treaty relationship, Christians have a unique role to play in this conversation in each local government area.
Common Grace Aotearoa is equipping and educating faith communities about the Māori wards referendums in support of voting to Keep Māori wards.
Voting in Māori ward referendums is a chance to reflect deeply on God’s heart for us to all to belong, to honour the promise of the Treaty, and to love our neighbours.
No matter who we are or where we come from, most of us want a future where people and the environment are well-cared for. Māori wards can benefit our whole community by ensuring the God-given identity and wisdom of tangata whenua is at our Council’s decision-making table.
Māori wards are a step toward fulfilling the sacred promise of the Treaty, which promised to protect hapū decision-making about their local lands and waterways.
Māori wards can bridge divides in our communities and bring us closer together, in line with Christ’s vision for reconciliation.
Educating and equipping your faith community to navigate Māori ward referendums
Common Grace Aotearoa will be creating and rolling out a set of resources to help churches understand Māori wards from a faith and justice perspective.
Plans are still evolving, but this will include a mixture of video resources, webinars, and conversation guides between June and October to help your community understand and potentially speak up in a gracious and prophetic witness in the lead up to Māori ward referendums.
Fill out the form below to express interest in distributing and leading conversations using these resources in your church.
Join us on this exciting learning opportunity to explore how Māori wards can make our communities stronger and live into the promise of the Te Tiriti relationship.