Latest news with #TePātiMāori
Newsroom
a day ago
- Politics
- Newsroom
Urban, Māori and disconnected – the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election
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 September 6, in what is being billed as a pivotal political contest, two prominent Māori 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 is Oriini Kaipara, the former television journalist turned politician – 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 political reporter 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 face of rangatiratanga? And only the people of Tāmaki Makaurau will decide which matters most. Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here. You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.
Scoop
6 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Government Attacks Māori Rights On World Stage
Te Pāti Māori condemns the Government's escalating assault on tangata whenua, following the letter sent by Regulations Minister David Seymour to the United Nations and Prime Minister Luxon's weak attempt to distance himself while still endorsing its dangerous intent. 'This Government is setting fire to Māori rights through regressive, colonial legislation. Seymour's letter is not a rogue move, it's a warning shot, signalling this Government's intent to dismantle Indigenous rights' said Te Pāti Māori Co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. 'The real threat isn't his tantrum, it's the policy machine behind it, backed by every party in this coalition.' The Prime Minister has now said publicly that 'we've all read the letter, and we all think it's a waste of time' effectively agreeing with Seymour's withdrawn rant. That statement has already been reported back to the United Nations as the formal position of the New Zealand Prime Minister. 'It's a complete diplomatic failure' said Te Pāti Māori Co-leader Rawiri Waititi. 'Winston Peters is trying to reassure international partners, but he's being publicly undermined by his own Prime Minister. If all Ministers think the UN's concerns are 'bunkum', then Peters' response is meaningless and Aotearoa's credibility on the world stage is in tatters.' Earlier this year, Māori rights violations were raised during the UN's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process. The Government's actions are not just bad policy they are breaches of international human rights standards. 'In 2010, it was a National Government that endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). That wasn't a diplomatic accident it was a formal recognition of our rights as tangata whenua' said Waititi. 'Now, this coalition is dismantling that legacy while the world watches. This is global embarrassment for the government stating the United Nations is a waste of time.' 'As Māori rights come under attack at home, we need the protections promised in UNDRIP more than ever' concluded Ngarewa-Packer.
Scoop
7 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Communities Can't Foot The Bill For Climate Crisis
Te Pāti Māori sends aroha to whānau, and communities impacted by the recent severe weather across Nelson Tasman, Banks Peninsula, Northland and beyond. While dozens of people are still unable to return home, National and Labour are already hinting at a Climate Adaptation plan that would see impacted communities pay for their own recovery. 'These so-called 'once in a lifetime' events are now happening every year. It's only been one year since Wairoa flooded, and a year before that we had Cyclone Gabrielle' said MP for Te Tai Tonga, Tākuta Ferris. 'Communities need more than short-term fixes. They need urgent, sustained investment in both recovery and long-term climate adaption. 'The corporations who are fuelling the climate crisis should be the ones paying for adaptation and recovery – it's not the community's fault that their houses are flooded, why should they have to pay?' Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, MP for Te Tai Tokerau, says the government's continued failure to resource Māori communities is a symptom of Māori being too resilient. 'What we are seeing today is the perverse consequence of our resilience. When our communities are this resilient, their hardship becomes invisible. 'It is our Māori communities who bear the brunt of these climate disasters-isolated and under-resourced. But despite being the most impacted, they are also the first to respond. 'But this resilience is not new, it is a natural part of our Māori ecosystem, an in-built response born of whakapapa, whanaungatanga, and the knowledge that no one else is coming.' Te Pāti Māori will empower Māori to implement our own climate adaptation solutions, we will provide funding to impacted communities, and we will ensure that Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Mātauranga Māori form the basis of our climate adaptation strategy. 'Recovery must be driven by those who know their whenua, whakapapa, and communities, not dictated by distant bureaucrats with no connection to the realities on the ground' concluded Ferris.
NZ Herald
7 days ago
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Byelection: Te Pāti Māori candidate contender cops flak for supporting Labour MP's selection
'The party was quite disappointed at that, to be totally honest. I've just gone, well, I'm just going to sit back here and ... we have to allow the people to speak.' Panapa had worked in Parliament for former Tāmaki Makaurau MP Takukai Moana Natasha Kemp before her death after a battle with kidney disease. Takutai Moana Natasha Kemp with Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere on election night in 2023. Photo / Mike Scott Continuing Kemp's work had motivated Panapa to offer himself to be her successor. However, he was narrowly beaten by Kaipara by about 30 votes from a crowd of up to 350 people, he estimated, during Te Pāti Māori's selection process last week. Over the weekend, Labour selected Henare - a former Tāmaki Makaurau MP of three terms - as its candidate to contest the byelection set for September 6. Panapa attended Henare's selection event at Ngā Whare Waatea Marae in Mangere and posted to social media, congratulating the Labour MP and thanking him for acknowledging Kemp. A few days later, Panapa again took to social media to 'clear a lot of the noise' having been 'hammered, good and bad, from all ends' for his comments. 'It's okay to be passionate, but let's keep the discourse respectful,' Panapa wrote. 'To clarify, Peeni is my whanaunga, and before politics, we're whānau and Māori first. 'However, Takutai's influence led me to Te Pāti Māori, and I've come to appreciate and support their unapologetic stance on being Māori in spaces that often threaten our existence.' Panapa said his post had prompted some to believe he had left Te Pāti Māori and was joining Labour. 'Peeni had some beautiful words to say about Takutai, so I tended to listen to that. 'It was never about going against the party.' Panapa said he hadn't heard from Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere, also his grandmother's first cousin, about the matter, saying he believed Tamihere 'understood where I was coming from'. Former Manurewa Marae youth advisor Te Kou o Rehua Panapa in Parliament. Photo / Supplied Tamihere has been approached for comment. Still a Te Pāti Māori member, Panapa said he had not decided whether to endorse one specific candidate. He had also not considered whether he would contest next year's election, despite being asked by Te Pāti Māori if he would want to run in an Auckland general seat. Panapa said it remained an open question whether, should he run, he did so for Te Pāti Māori, Labour or the Green Party. As for the byelection, Panapa suspected Kaipara would 'give it a good go' against Henare, whom he had worked for previously across three campaigns. 'Peeni's done some amazing work here in Tāmaki Makaurau but I personally think [Kaipara] could win this on the party, on the back of the party.' Citing his experience working with South Auckland youth, Panapa explained what might have been considered 'radical' views from Te Pāti Māori in the past were now attracting a growing young Māori audience in Auckland. '[Previously], it was grandparents-driven and you voted for Labour and that was it. 'That's changed now, I think it's more the young people making decisions for themselves to vote.' He encouraged candidates to avoid political sparring and focus on improving what was typically a low voter turnout. 'What both parties don't realise is that our people, especially South Auckland people, if there's too much narrative and it's too complicated, they don't turn up and vote. 'That's the problem, so the focus must be on getting people there to vote.' Adam Pearse is the Deputy Political Editor and part of the NZ Herald's Press Gallery team based at Parliament in Wellington. He has worked for NZME since 2018, reporting for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei and the Herald in Auckland.
RNZ News
15-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Labour and Te Pāti Māori miss deadline for financial statements
Labour and Te Pāti Māori's statements were due at the end of the financial year on 30 June. File photo. Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER Labour and Te Pāti Māori have both been late in filing audited financial statements to the Electoral Commission. It is another strike for Te Pāti Māori, although the Electoral Commission says the party has assured them this year's and last year's statements will be filed together soon. Labour has filed its financial statements - but not an audit. Their statements were due at the end of the financial year on 30 June. All other parties with that due date - including ACT and National - have filed their financial statements. Electoral Commission manager of legal, regulation and policy Kristina Temel said the commission was continuing to follow up with both parties. "Labour has not filed an audit report for its financial statements. The party contacted us before 30 June to advise that its audit report is taking longer than expected and at this stage we are satisfied with the reasons they and their auditor have given," Temel said. Labour general secretary Rob Salmond said the party was "continuing to work with our audit partners as we transition to a new set of accounting practices" and was "in the late stages of this process". Temel said Te Pāti Māori had not yet filed an audit report, or financial statements "but has told the commission they are being prepared and will be filed soon". "They have also informed us that the outstanding audit report for last year's financial statements will be filed at the same time." As incorporated societies, Labour and Te Pāti Māori are the only parties required to have their financial statements audited under changes to the Electoral Act passed in 2022. Several other parties - including the Greens and NZ First - have a reporting date at the end of September. Police previously issued a formal warning to Te Pāti Māori over the failure to file a complete and audited 2023 financial statement on time. The commission said no decisions had yet been made on whether to refer any of Te Pāti Māori's leadership to police over this year's statements but noted that "under section 210J of the Electoral Act, it is an offence for a party secretary to file a financial statement late or fail to file a financial statement without reasonable excuse". Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere declined to comment. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
