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Ngā Iwi o Taranaki
8 September 2026
60 Days To Election Day: Ngā Iwi O
Taranaki Launch
Campaign To Supercharge Māori
Enrolment And Voting
Just 60 days out from polling day, Ngā Iwi o Taranaki
have launched ‘The Landline’, a campaign designed to
entertain, educate and encourage Māori to enrol and vote
in the upcoming election.
The campaign is entirely iwi funded and represents a
collective response from the 8 Iwi of Taranaki.
Coordinated through Te Tōpuni Ngārahu, the collective
effort is applying the same unified approach that helped
secure the Taranaki Mounga Treaty settlement, this time
to voter enrolment and turnout.
Organisers say recent numbers underline why urgency
matters. Around 54 percent of enrolled Māori voters now
choose the Māori Roll, the highest proportion on record,
but almost 3 in 10 enrolled Māori voters did not vote at
the 2023 General Election.
Te Tōpuni Ngārahu Chief Executive, Wharehoka Wano, says
the campaign is built around the kūmara vine, a long
standing symbol of connection through the whenua.
"Just as the vine spreads and links whānau across the
māra and beyond, this campaign is designed to reach our
people wherever they live, in a light hearted and non
confrontational way," Wano says.
The creative itself leans into a fun, humorous and
playful tone, steering away from anything heavy or
preachy. Wano says the aim is for enrolling and voting
to feel easy and even enjoyable, not like a chore.
"We're 60 days out until election day on 7 November.
That's not a lot of time, and the roll closes even
sooner, on 25 October. We want all uri to know this and
act on it now.”
Ngāti Maru Pouwhakahaere and CEO, Anaru Marshall, says
national reach is a deliberate focus, with a significant
number of uri living outside Taranaki across the motu.
"Our goal is to reach uri on the kūmara vine wherever
they live in the country and if we catch the attention
of wider Māori that’s a win for our collective
aspirations. Getting enrolled takes minutes, and every
enrolment adds to the strength of Māori representation
nationally," says Marshall.
Marshall says the campaign plays on a deliberate
contrast with an old school piece of technology, the
landline, to cut through to a digitally saturated
generation and attract even more young Māori to register
to vote.
“The use of a kūmura as the landline doubles down as a
reminder of the connection between whānau and the
whenua, and the reminder that voting can help Māori have
a say over what happens on and to the land.”
“In our analysis of last year’s local body elections;
the Māori Ward seats weren’t voted out, it was simply a
case of not enough of our people turning out to vote
them in.”
Marshall says the heart of the video campaign is an “own
people” approach, pairing everyday Taranaki locals, a
mix of young and old, with well known Māori faces from
in and outside the region building authenticity and
local pride.
Cameos of well known Māori include musician Stan Walker,
Māori AI founder Dan Te Whenua Walker, comedian Joe
Daymond and Māori lawyer, Riana Te Ngahue.
Stan Walker says he’s enrolled for this year's election
and is encouraging whānau across the motu to do the
same.
“For someone like me who is impatient, I have no time
for anything, but it was easy. It takes five minutes to
get on the roll, to have a say in society and contribute
to the decision making of our nation.”
Beyond the social and digital driven campaign, Ngā Iwi o
Taranaki are also running an on the ground push,
including iwi database engagement, education sessions on
how to enrol, calling and texting uri to confirm
enrolment, door to door visits to whānau, and vans on
election day to help get people to the polls.
Enrolling to vote is free and takes a few minutes at
vote.nz.
Notes:
About the Campaign: The Campaign is a collective
initiative by the 8 Iwi of Taranaki, and coordinated by
Te Tōpuni Ngārahu encouraging Māori enrolment and voter
turnout ahead of the 2026 General Election. It has a
digital and social media focus to target young Māori,
the group that organisers say is hardest to reach
through traditional media and least likely to already be
enrolled. It will run from September 8 to November 7.
About Te Tōpuni Ngārahu:
Te Tōpuni Ngārahu is a regional collective representing
the 8 Iwi of Taranaki, working together on shared
priorities and opportunities that strengthen outcomes
for whānau and communities across the rohe. Established
in 2023 as part of the iwi redress arrangements for
Taranaki Mounga, the collective provides leadership on
matters of importance to Ngā Iwi o Taranaki and the
wider region.
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