A Maori ward and a new voting system could be on the cards for Auckland Council come 2019.

The council is set to agree today, on establishing a specific Maori seat and moving the city to a single transferable vote system.

Janine Hayward from Otago University says the STV system would allow people to rank their candidates, and prevent wasted votes.

"Under the single transferable vote, that wasted vote is entirely reduced.

"So as a result what you end up with is councils that tend to look much more like the people who voted for them."

Janine Hayward says the STV system would make the council more proportionately representative, and a Maori seat would also make the council more representative.

"With declining voter turnout, especially in Auckland, I think councils have to do everything that they can to engage voters and a huge part of that is to make sure that councils look like and represent their communities."

The New Plymouth District Council voted this week - after fiery debate - to introduce a Maori ward.

The Waikato and Bay of Plenty Regional Councils also have Maori wards.