Fifteen-year-old Jack Karetai-Barrett is planning a four-day hikoi from Whakatāne to Mount Maunganui and back to urge people to vote "yes" to Māori wards.

"By taking this hikoi, I'm making sure that what matters to me for the future really counts," Jack told Local Democracy Reporting.

The year 11 Whakatāne High School student is no stranger to political activism, having been embroiled in the movement to have Māori wards installed in local government councils since he was 10.

In 2020 he and his mother, Māwera Karetai, travelled from Whakatāne to Wellington with Te Rōpū Tautoko Māori member Toni Boynton to deliver a petition in support of legislation changes that would allow councils to form Māori wards without voters being able to petition for a referendum.

It was young Jack who was selected from the group to hand the kete full of signatures to Minister for Local Government Nanaia Mahuta on the steps of Parliament.

"That kete still hangs on a wall in our home as a daily reminder," he said.

The Labour government brought in legislation abolishing the referenda for Māori wards in 2022, following the petition.

The current government reversed the law change last year.

Councils who had instated Māori wards without holding a referendum must either disestablish them or hold a referendum at the local body elections in October.

Whakatāne District Council, which has three Māori ward councillors, opted to hold a referendum which would be binding for the 2028 and 2031 local body elections.

Starting on Monday, Jack will spend two days walking along the roadside toward Tauranga wearing a big green tick on his backpack to urge people to vote yes to Māori wards.

After a day spent resting, he will spend the next two days walking back to Whakatāne - a 160km return distance.

He would pass through the voting areas of both Tauranga City and Western Bay of Plenty District councils, with the latter also having to hold a referendum.

Jack said the hikoi was more about raising awareness in general than targeting a particular region and he selected the hikoi route because it was a road he was familiar with.

"I know the road quite well. I know places I can stop and get food," he said.

He was happy for others who felt strongly about Māori wards to join him in the hikoi, even if it was only for part of it.

However, he had no problem with walking the route by himself.

Jack set up a Facebook group, "Walk for wards," in which anyone interested could stay updated.

He had already been contacted by someone in Wainuiomata, Wellington who had been inspired by him to make a similar walk in her region.

Jack said Māori wards were important because Māori voter turnout tended to be lower than the general population.

"Therefore any Māori candidates standing in the general seats can't get enough votes.

"This isn't because Māori don't care about politics, but rather due to a deep-seated mistrust in the systems that have been used against Māori for so long.

"Many feel that voting doesn't lead to real change, as decisions are often made without truly considering Māori perspectives."

When announcing the law change, then Local Government Minister Simeon Brown said the former legislation "denied" local communities the ability to determine whether to establish local Māori wards and undermined the principles of democracy.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.