Plans are afoot in Wellington to mark 160 years of service by Māori wardens this year. The Māori Warden movement was first established by the second Māori monarch, King Tāwhiao at the height of the NZ Land Wars in 1860 and the wardens' core philosophy of service for the love of people since then has endured to this day.
There are approximately 900 Māori Warden volunteers, who play an intrinsic role in improving the wellbeing of whānau and communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. Plans to celebrate 160 years of service had been put on hold because of Covid-19.
But Gabriel Tūpou of the Wellington district Māori wardens says once the alert levels drop, plans will resume as well as consolidating the future for Māori wardens across the country.