Hamilton voters will soon have their say on the future of Maaori representation in our city.

A binding poll will be held alongside this year’s election asking whether Hamilton’s Kirikiriroa Maaori Ward should continue beyond the 2028 election.

The poll is required bycentral government. Unlike the election – where voters rank candidates – the Maaori ward poll will be a simple tick-box question.

All voters can participate in the poll and will be asked to tick either ‘I vote to keep Maaori wards’ or ‘I vote to remove Maaori wards’.

The Kirikiriroa Maaori Ward was established after community engagement in 2021 and includestwo citywide seats.

Maaori wards, like Maaori seats in Parliament, were established to provide dedicated representation for Maaori.

Voting in the poll opens onTuesday 9 September 2025 and closes at midday on Saturday 11 October 2025.

The poll is Hamilton’s opportunity to decide whether to keep or remove its Maaori ward.

The result of the poll will come into effect at the 2028 Hamilton City Council election.

For more information, visit hamilton.govt.nz/poll.

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