Latest news with #Peeni Henare
RNZ News
4 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Tāmaki Makaurau candidate Peeni Henare says government playing 'silly games'
Tāmaki Makaurau candidate Peeni Henare campaigning at Ōtara Market. Photo: RNZ/Jessica Hopkins The Labour party says Aucklanders are tired of the government's "silly games". The party was drumming up support for their candidate in the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election in South Auckland on Saturday. Peeni Henare will contest the seat for Labour against Te Pāti Māori candidate, former broadcaster Oriini Kaipara, after the death of Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Moana Tarsh Kemp in June. Henare, who narrowly lost to Kemp at the last election, spent Saturday morning at the bustling Ōtara Market. He was joined by Labour leader Chris Hipkins and other party members, including Georgie Dansey, who will enter parliament on Labour's party list if Henare is successful. Speaking on the government redesigning New Zealand's passport to place the English words above the te reo Māori text, Hipkins said he was opposed to the change. "It's a massive step backwards. We can be proud to have Aotearoa, New Zealand on our passports. It has been there for decades, and no one has complained about it." Henare said the government was not focusing on what mattered. "I'm a big advocate for te reo Māori. It's concerning that the government isn't focused on real issues hurting our people, the cost of living. It's absolute silly games... from this government." Henare said he got a clear vibe from South Aucklanders that people wanted a change in government. "The message was very clear as we walked around the Ōtara Market that people want to see the back of this government." Henare said the passing of Takutai Kemp was very sad. But he said that did not mean Labour should not contest the Tāmaki Makaurau seat. "Anybody who thinks a green seat in the chamber of Parliament is a free pass for anybody is absolute folly. "Should I be successful at this by-election, our tuahine Georgia Dansey, a wahine Māori, will be coming into Parliament." He said Labour was seeking a clear mandate to represent Tāmaki Makaurau in the by-election and the 2026 elections. A 2016 and a 2023 New Zealand passport. The older passport features the English words first - a design the government says it will change back to with new passports from 2027. Photo: Natalie Akoorie Chris Hipkins said they would be vigourously campaigning for Henare over the next few weeks. Those on the Māori roll will vote in the Tāmaki Makauru by-election is on 6 September, 2025. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
21-07-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Urban, Māori and disconnected - the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election
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. Check out how to listen to and fol low The Detail here . You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter .
