Urban, Māori and disconnected - the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election

RNZ News

21-07-2025

The Hoani Waititi marae in west Auckland.
Photo:
Pokere Paewai / RNZ
Tāmaki Makaurau isn't just any seat; it's a spiritual and political stronghold for urban Māori.
Names like Sir Pita Sharples and John Tamihere echo through the halls of its political past, with fierce loyalty often split between Labour's red banner and Te Pāti Māori's fast rising tide.
Now, on 6 September, in what is being billed as a pivotal political contest, two Māori heavyweights will
vie for that seat in a by-election
triggered by the
sudden death of Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp
last month.
On one side is Peeni Henare, the seasoned Labour warrior, once a Cabinet Minister, once the seat's representative, now
back seeking redemption
.
On the other hand, Oriini Kaipara, the former television journalist turned politician, is a
fresh face for Te Pāti Māori
, with a moko kauae and a mission to amplify the voices of whānau who feel abandoned by politicians - particularly the coalition government.
Hannah Tamaki, the wife of Brian, is also standing for Vision New Zealand. National, the Greens, NZ First and ACT have all ruled out participating in the by-election.
RNZ Māori news journalist Tu Natanahira tells
The Detail
the seat is of one of the most strategically important Māori electorates in the country.
"First and foremost, the seat is sort of the birthplace of what was then called the Māori Party, now Te Pāti Māori," he says.
"All of the conversations, all of the thrust for the party, much of that was discussed out West Auckland at Hoani Waititi Marae, which is also where Oriini Kaipara's selection to run in the seat was announced and decided by Te Pāti Māori members.
"The seat ... has an enormous Māori population and importantly, much of that Māori population is pan-tribal and, of course, it is urban. It's a very important seat to get because you get a sense of what urban Māori want or what urban Māori are looking for.
"Labour's Peeni Henare, of course, has had a lot of success in that seat."
Henare first won it in 2014 and held it until the last general election, when Kemp beat him by just 42 votes.
Now he's back, with a promise to rebuild trust and bring Labour's values back to the Māori heartland.
Kaipara, a mother of four and a grandmother, wants a focus on Māori families, who, she says, are bearing the brunt of housing shortages and a struggling health system.
"Both of the candidates are running on similar platforms, and it all comes down to the cost of living, housing, and making a better life for people living in Auckland," Natanahira tells
The Detail
.
"It's going to be a really tight [race]."
So, with less than seven weeks until voting closes, there's no clear favourite. Advance voting will be critical, and turnout will make or break the result.
Journalist and Auckland University senior media advisor Te Rina Ruka-Triponel tells
The Detail
that the now-defunct Treaty Principles Bill and the Regulatory Standards Bill are among the issues that are front of mind for Māori and will "hopefully encourage them to vote".
"Reflecting on what's been happening, who is in charge at the moment, and how do our values align with theirs, if they don't, that's exactly why you should vote in the by-election," she says.
"But I also want to touch on something really important ... there are many reasons why Māori don't vote - because they don't subscribe to the Crown, they don't believe in the Crown, and it's kind of this never-ending cycle of never having your voices heard.
"But I also want to make a point that by voting, we get our people in, and that way our voices are heard. We have got to put someone in there who is going to represent us."
Whatever happens, Tāmaki Makaurau will again become a bellwether for the Māori political mood. Is Labour still the party of the people? Or is Te Pāti Māori the new face of rangatiratanga?
And only the people of Tāmaki Makaurau will decide which one matters most.
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