Elections 101: Ward do you mean?

What is a ward?

A ward is a geographical area, which is broken down by suburbs across the city. In Wellington, we have six wards and 16 elected members.  

The elected members all represent different wards, and their job is to set the city’s overall strategic direction, approve budgets, make bylaws, policies and plans aimed at meeting community needs. 

 A key part of their role is to talk to the public before making decisions. The Mayor and Councillors are supported in their role by the Tawa and Mākara/Ōhāriu community boards.  

Every election, the number of councillors for each ward is based on how many people reside in each geographical area and the population of the city. 

Why should I care?  

As councillors represent different wards in the city, it’s important that you vote for someone who you think will add value to your community. If there are things that could improve in your suburb or the surrounding areas, you should vote for someone who will be able to advocate for those changes. 

You can enrol at vote.nz. 

 Find out which ward you are in and how many councillors are elected for your area.

All city 

One mayor, who is elected ‘at large’ by all the city’s voters.  

Takapū/Northern General Ward 

There are three councillors for this ward, and they stand for: 

• Churton Park 
• Glenside 
• Grenada North 
• Grenada Village 
• Horokiwi 
• Johnsonville 
• Newlands 
• Ōhāriu
• Paparangi 
• Takapū Valley 
• Tawa
• Woodridge 

Wharangi/Onslow-Western General Ward  

There are three councillors for this ward, and they stand for: 

• Broadmeadows 
• Crofton Downs 
• Kaiwharawhara 
• Karori 
• Khandallah 
• Mākara
• Mākara Beach 
• Ngaio 
• Ngauranga 
• Northland 
• Wadestown
• Wilton 

Pukehīnau/Lambton General Ward  

There are three councillors for this ward, and they stand for: 

• Aro Valley 
• Highbury 
• Kelburn 
• Mount Cook 
• Mount Victoria 
• Oriental Bay 
• Pipitea 
• Te Aro 
• Thorndon 
• Wellington Central 

Motukairangi/Eastern General Ward   

 There are three councillors for this ward, and they stand for:  

• Breaker Bay 
• Hataitai 
• Houghton Bay 
• Karaka Bays 
• Kilbirnie 
• Lyall Bay 
• Maupuia 
• Melrose 
• Miramar 
• Moa Point 
• Rongotai 
• Roseneath 
• Seatoun
• Strathmore Park 

Paekawakawa/Southern General Ward 

There are two councillors for this ward, and they stand for: 

• Berhampore 
• Brooklyn 
• Island Bay 
• Kingston 
• Mornington 
• Newtown 
• Owhiro Bay 
• Southgate 
• Vogeltown

Te Whanganui-a-Tara Māori Ward  

There is one councillor for this ward, and while most wards are based on a geographic area, the people voting will be those on the Māori electoral roll. 

Māori roll voters elect a Māori ward councillor, and general roll voters elect general ward councillors in their geographic area.

The last day you could change between rolls was 10 July 2025 for the 2025 local elections. Both residents and non-resident ratepayers can be on the Māori roll.

What is representation review?  

To make sure that there is fair representation at the elections, the electoral arrangements are reviewed every six years. This review looks at how many councillors there should be for the city, and whether or not they should be elected from wards or ‘at large’ by all voters. 

This ensures that our communities are represented fairly, with each councillor representing around the same number of people. 

It also reviews the names and boundaries of wards, and whether or not there should be community boards.  

Find out more about wards and representation review.