11 September 2025

Te Pāti Māori Te Tai Hauāuru electorate is sounding the alarm after Ngā Tapuae o Matangi Māori Ward councillor Bridget Bell, the only councillor in the Manawatū District Council directly impacted by the Māori Ward referendum, has been left out of the official candidate booklet.

Chair of Te Pāti Māori Te Tai Hauāuru electorate, Hinemoana Durie-Sherlock states “clearly this is an attack on Māori democracy and tino rangatiratanga”

Bridget Bell stands unopposed, but this referendum is not about her seat, it is about the future of Māori wards themselves. The deliberate omission of her profile denies voters the chance to understand the kaupapa and whakaaro that represent why Māori representation matters.

“How can people make an informed decision when the very face of the Māori Ward, the seat on the line in this referendum, has been erased?” said Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Te Tai Hauauru MP.

This is not an isolated mistake. Across the motu Māori voters are being systematically failed: Whanganui, South Wairarapa and Ōpōtiki have already faced serious breaches that erase Māori voices from local democracy.

At the exact moment Māori communities are being asked to vote on whether we keep our hard-fought representation, we are silenced. That is not a printing error, it is systemic prejudice.

Call to Action

Walk with us to the chambers. Bring your voting papers and cast your votes together.

Vote YES for Māori Wards. Protect our representation, our reo and our mana.

Share this message widely. Let whānau know what is happening and why it matters.

We mihi to our whanaunga in Whanganui, South Wairarapa and Ōpōtiki who are also confronting hē in their electoral processes. We stand together.

“Our mana, our seats at the table, our democracy, too important to lose. He wā mō te hīkoi, he wā mō te pōti” states Durie-Sherlock.

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