A tally of the 78 Councils around the country shows that: three have had separate Māori representation for several years; 35 have now opted to also create Māori seats; three have delayed the decision to enable public consultation; 10 are not eligible due to the low number of voters on the Māori roll in their area; and 27 have not undertaken formal measures.

Whether or not a council decides to introduce a Māori ward (or wards) does not preclude councils establishing different mechanisms to include Māori at governance level - where decision-making takes place. Many Councils have dedicated seats for unelected members on their Council Committees, some with full voting rights. Please see below a table of Māori wards and alternative representation models. N.B. This situation is fluid, with councils choosing to establish various forms of Maori representation on council, usually without consulting their communities. If you have any other information relating to this issue in your area, please contact us at: [email protected]

Colours: Green - Māori seats / Blue - Māori representation / Red - Neither / Grey - Not eligible for Māori seats, no Māori representation