On 11 October 2025, 43 local authorities across Aotearoa will hold referenda about whether to keep Māori wards in their council structures. As the Church was pivotal in shaping and imagining the Te Tiriti o Waitangi relationship, Christians have a unique role to play in this conversation about how our local government is structured going forward. What might our Christian faith have to say about the majority voting to determine the rights of the indigenous minority?

In this webinar, we will explore how the Church can be a gracious and prophetic witness in referendums on indigenous rights, learning from the experience of our sister organisation Common Grace in Australia as they amplified the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Christian leaders during Austalia’s 2023 referendum on whether to enshrine an indigenous Voice to Parliament in Australia’s Constitution.

We will also hear about the story of how a Māori ward in Ngāmotu / New Plymouth was introduced, from the district’s first Māori ward Councillor, Te Waka McLeod. What can we learn from the experience of an existing Māori ward to shape how we engage faith communities about the upcoming referendums?

Speakers:
Safina Stewart and Gershon Nimbalker - Common Grace Australia

Safina Stewart is a proud Wuthathi and Mabuiag Island woman who grew up cross culturally in New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Australia. Safina is the Relationships and Storytelling Coordinator at Common Grace in Australia. Gershon Nimbalker is the current National Director of Common Grace in Australia, and is a well known and deeply respected leader across the Christian social justice and aid sector in Australia.

Safina and Gershon will share the experience of Common Grace in engaging churches in the 2023 referendum for a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Common Grace led the ‘Listen to the Heart’ campaign, inviting Churches across Australia to listen deeply to the calls of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for justice, through Voice, together with Treaty and Truth-Telling.

Te Waka McLeod (Ngāti Mutunga, Te Atiawa, Te Ātihaunui a Papārangi) is most at home when she’s with her whānau and engaging with people around the motu to activate transformation in iwi spaces and champion kaupapa Māori.

Since 2022, she has been a member of the New Plymouth District Council as the first-ever Māori ward councillor - Te Purutanga Mauri Pūmanawa Māori. Te Waka will be sharing about the efforts to establish Māori Wards around the country, the value it has brought in Ngāmotu/New Plymouth, and how she views Māori wards in light of Te Tiriti and her Christian faith.