What are Māori wards? Why are they important? And why are they facing a referendum in Aotearoa in 2025?
In this bold and timely 10-part podcast, former New Plymouth mayor Andrew Judd and journalist Taryn Utiger explore the meaning, mana and myths of Māori wards — from the history of Māori political representation to the modern-day battle for equity in local government.
Through expert interviews, whānau voices, real talk, and moments of raw honesty, this podcast shines a light on a part of our democracy that too few understand, and too many fear.
Whether you're on the fence or fired up, WTH Are Māori Wards? is here to help you listen deeper, think bigger, and vote informed.
WTH Are Māori Wards? Episode 13: WTH Have We Learned?
After twelve weeks, twenty-five voices, and more lightbulb moments than we can count — here it is, the grand finale. In this season wrap-up, hosts Anaru Judd and Taryn Utiger look back at the biggest myth-busting moments, the toughest truths, and the most moving kōrero from across the series. It’s deep, it’s cheeky, it’s honest, and it might just be the best episode of the lot. Expect laughter, reflection, a few surprises, and plenty of banter as this dynamic duo unpack what they’ve learned (and unlearned) along the way. Grab your cuppa, whānau because this one goes straight to the heart of it all.
3 Oct 2025
WTH Are Māori Wards? Episode 12: Division or Partnership?
Whānau, we’ve saved a big one for last. In our final guest kōrero of the season, we bring you voices that sit at very different ends of the spectrum, and together, they show us exactly what’s at stake.
First up is Damon Fox, ACT Party candidate for New Plymouth District Council. He shares why he believes Māori wards aren’t the right path forward, drawing on his own values. Then we turn to Jay and Erin Ruka, whose life’s mahi is weaving aroha, reconciliation and difference into strength. Together these perspectives pose the question, are Māori wards division, or are they partnership? This episode is thoughtful, fiery, and deeply reflective. It’s not just about council seats, it’s about the kind of Aotearoa we want to grow into. Stay tuned for next week, when Andrew and Taryn reflect on the series and wrap up WTH we’ve learnt from WTH Are Māori Wards.
26 Sept 2025
WTH Are Māori Wards? Episode 11: Diverse Voices
From “no wards at all” to “Māori wards are a must,” this episode has it all. We bring you kōrero from every corner of the debate.
There’s a mayoral candidate, a Treaty expert, a migrant professor, and a long-time community advocate who’s been walking this journey for more than a decade.
In this chorus of perspectives, we talk to John Woodward who shares why he wants an at-large system with no wards at all, June Nicklin who takes us back to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its promises, Professor Mohan Dutta who offers a migrant’s lens on solidarity and justice, and Glen Bennett who reflects on more than a decade of fighting for Māori wards.
Together, their kōrero shows just how layered, challenging, and vital this conversation really is. It’s not about left or right, for or against, it’s about what fairness, partnership, and representation looks like in Aotearoa today.
Four voices, one kaupapa, and a debate that shapes the future for all of us.
19 Sept 2025
WTH Are Māori Wards? Episode 10: Shaping the Future
Whānau, the future doesn’t arrive fully formed, it's shaped by us. It's shaped through the fire of activism, through the fearlessness of rangatahi, and through the wisdom of te ao Māori guiding us forward.
In this episode, Kassie Hartendorp of ActionStation brings the activist spark from the community frontline, Saphire Brady and Thiemo Hanne from Stratford’s Youth Council remind us that tomorrow’s democracy is already speaking through today’s youth, and Te Ariki Rangitutia of Matatoa Consultants grounds it all, showing us how honouring te ao Māori can shape the way Aotearoa listens, learns, and chooses its path forward.
Together, these voices speak passionately about the future of Aotearoa and how we get there.
12 Sept 2025
WTH Are Māori Wards? Episode 9: Let's Hui
From town halls to marae, hui are springing up all over Aotearoa, and they’re buzzing with kōrero about Māori wards. This week Anaru and Taryn take you inside one of them - the Keep Māori Wards Manawatū Hui, recorded and shared with aroha by our whānau at Manawatū People’s Radio.
You’ll hear from a stellar line-up of speakers: Professor Richard Shaw, Dr Matt Wynyard, and Hinemoana Durie-Shedlock. These sharp minds and strong community voices pull no punches about why Māori wards matter, and why this referendum is a fight for the future of our democracy.
The many hui happening around Aotearoa show just how powerful grassroots democracy can be. This is the sound of a movement rising. This is what happens when communities unite.
Hui by hui, Aotearoa is stepping up.
5 Sept 2025
WTH Are Māori Wards? Episode 8: The Rulemakers
Politicians don’t always agree... but in this episode, we get a big surprise when they do! Three heavy hitters, from different sides of the political spectrum and different corners of the motu, all land on the same belief: Māori wards deserve to stay. The twist? One of them is part of the Coalition Government — the very same coalition that brought back referendums against Māori wards.
Join Anaru Judd and Taryn Utiger as they sit down with Andrew Little (ex-Cabinet big gun, now running for Wellington mayor), David MacLeod (National MP and former TRC chair who’ll surprise you), and Tangi Utikere (Labour’s local government spokesperson and former Palmy deputy mayor). And just so you know, we did ask the anti-ward crowd to front up. ACT’s Cameron Luxton, Local Government Minister Simon Watts, and Kaipara mayor Craig Jepson all got multiple invites. They ghosted us. Awkward. So instead, you’ll hear from the politicians who actually showed up, spoke straight, and made the case for why Māori wards work.
29 Aug 2025
WTH Are Māori Wards? Episode 7: Lived Experience
So... do Māori wards actually work, or are they just another political buzzword? Spoiler alert: they don’t just work, they deliver. A New Zealand mayor with 24 years of experience under his belt spent just one term alongside a Māori ward councillor and he's now a full-blown convert. Add in the lived experience of Māori ward councillor Te Waka McLeod, plus the perspective of councillor Sam Bennett, and you’ve got yourself the inside scoop. Join Andrew Judd and Taryn Utiger for the laughs, challenges, and game-changing wins of the lived experience of Māori wards. If you want the real truth about Māori wards, this is the episode you can’t afford to miss.
22 Aug 2025
WTH Are Māori Wards? Episode 6: The Big Guns
This week we’ve called in the big guns: Professor Janine Hayward and Professor Avril Bell. If you’ve ever tried to untangle Treaty politics, democracy, or identity in Aotearoa, chances are you’ve read their work (or quoted them at the dinner table without even knowing it). Janine, a political scientist from Otago, has the rare gift of making constitutional law and electoral systems feel like a story you actually want to hear. Avril, a sociologist from Auckland, takes us deep into the messy, beautiful world of identity and what it means to be Pākehā in a Treaty partnership. Together, they don’t just explain this kaupapa, they own it. They’re sharp, they’re insightful, and they’ve got that perfect mix of clarity and courage that makes you go, “ahhhh, now I get it.” Tune in for a kōrero that will blow the dust off politics and leave you buzzing with fresh understanding of why Māori wards matter.
15 Aug 2025
WTH Are Māori Wards? Episode 5: Bring It On
We follow-up last week’s fiery debate by welcoming Dinnie Moeahu to the mic for a kōrero that is equal parts laughter, depth, and uncompromising truth. With warmth, wit, and the authority of lived experience, the sitting New Plymouth District Councillor dismantles Morris West’s claims one by one, offering a compelling defence of Māori wards that is grounded in history, community, and the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It’s passionate, personal, filled with "bring it on" energy, and the kind of episode that's bound to leave you better informed, deeply moved, and maybe even seeing the debate in a whole new light.
8 Aug 2025
WTH Are Māori Wards? Episode 4: Unapologetically Opposed
Hold onto your headphones, because this episode's a firecracker. In Episode 4 of WTH Are Māori Wards, we sit down for a bold and unflinching kōrero with Māori ward critic Morris West. What starts as a calm conversation deepens into a battle of wills between Andrew Judd and Morris West, as two staunch perspectives collide with grit, fire, and electric moments. This isn’t just a debate, it’s a reflection of the fault lines of Aotearoa’s democracy. Two strong voices meet at one table, and this is the result.
1 Aug 2025
WTH Are Māori Wards? Special Episode: Electoral Roll Drama
Nau mai, haere mai, and buckle up for an unexpected episode of WTH Are Māori Wards? This week, thousands of Māori voters across Aotearoa discovered they’ve been removed from the Māori Electoral Roll without warning or consent, including our own co-host, journalist and advocate Taryn Utiger. In this urgent and deeply personal kōrero, Anaru Judd turns the mic on Taryn as she unpacks how it happened, what it means, and why it matters. Together, they dive into the confusion, the system failures, and the very real consequences for whānau gearing up to vote in the Māori Wards referendum later this year. If you care about Māori representation, voter rights, or democratic integrity, then this episode is essential listening.
1 Aug 2025
WTH Are Māori Wards? Episode 3: Recovering Racist Pt2
This week Anaru and Taryn delve further into his past life and examine exactly what it means when he says he is a recovering racist. They kōrero about some important hui happening around the motu, and reflect on the noticeable changes in the collective community stance on Māori issues. Ahead of next week's episode, where they kōrero with someone against Māori wards, the duo discuss some conscious and unconscious reasons why people might not vibe with Māori having representation on councils.
25 Jul 2025
WTH Are Māori Wards? Episode 2: Recovering Racist Pt1
This week Taryn delves into Andrew Judd's own personal journey around Māori wards. In this raw, honest and deeply human episode Andrew reveals how he came to the realisation he was racist, why he will always be a recovering racist, and how he transformed his personal awakening into a broader mission.
His story is a lens into how one person’s commitment to doing the right thing, even when unpopular, can ripple outward and create national change. Across Aotearoa, Andrew helped normalise the idea that Pākehā have work to do in honouring Te Tiriti, but that came at an enormous personal and professional cost to him.
In the second episode of WTH Are Māori wards, Andrew reflects on a journey that has challenged his identity, cost him his comfort, and ultimately transformed the way he sees race, power, and what it really means to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
18 Jul 2025
WTH Are Māori Wards? Episode 1: Māori Wards 101
Māori wards. What are they really about? Why do they matter? And what does your vote mean? In the first episode of this series, Andrew Judd and Taryn Utiger give you your Māori wards 101 explainer. It's the FAQs for the time pour, and the overview we all need ahead of the referendum.
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