Latest news with #OriiniKaipara
RNZ News
a day ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Labour dismisses claims it is being 'greedy' by contesting by-election
Peeni Henare held the Tāmaki Makaurau seat between 2014 and 2023, and has been confirmed as Labour's candidate in the 6 September by-election. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver Labour is brushing off accusations it is being greedy by standing in the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election, saying if it were to win it would not diminish the presence of Māori in Parliament. Peeni Henare, who held the seat between 2014 and 2023, has been confirmed as Labour's candidate in the 6 September by-election, which is being held due to the death of Takutai Tarsh Kemp. Te Pāti Māori has selected Oriini Kaipara to contest the seat, which Kemp won off Henare in 2023. Prominent figures in the party have since criticised Labour's decision to run. Speaking to regional Māori news service Pūkāea , party co-leader Rawiri Waititi said win or lose, Henare would remain in Parliament, and if he did win the seat a Māori voice would be "lost" in the House. Party president John Tamihere told the New Zealand Herald Henare could risk leadership aspirations by contesting the by-election. "How many times are you going to run and lose?" he asked. Meanwhile, Waititi's wife Kiri Tamihere-Waititi, who is also Tamihere's daughter and a party media liaison, said Labour was being "greedy" by standing in the by-election. "Them standing a current MP in the by-election is a greedy move to take away from Māori. Why? Because Peeni already holds a seat in Parliament," she posted. "The only reason they are running in Tāmaki is to take a seat away from Māori. Labour are not there to increase a Māori voice, they want to take one away." She went on to say a vote for Henare was a "wasted" vote. If Henare were to win the by-election, Labour would bring Georgie Dansey in off the party list. Dansey is of Ngāti Tūwharetoa descent. Her tūpuna Roger Dansey was a captain in the Māori Pioneer Battalion during World War I, and was also a Māori All Black. Addressing Te Pāti Māori's criticisms, Henare pointed out the next person on Labour's list is a wāhine Māori, and dismissed the accusations Labour was being greedy. "Any suggestion that I'm curbing a Māori voice in Parliament is absolute folly. Those kinds of reckons don't help what should be a good contest between two good candidates, and that's what we're hoping to do." He said he got more than 10,000 votes in 2023, and owed it to Tāmaki Makaurau voters to give them a choice. "Every green seat in the House of Parliament is a contested seat. Anybody who thinks a seat is going to be given to somebody is absolute folly." Vision NZ leader Hannah Tamaki - who also contested the seat in 2023 - will stand again, while National, the Green Party, ACT and New Zealand First will not field a candidate. The prime minister has called the by-election as a "pillow fight" between Labour and Te Pāti Māori. Labour's Māori caucus co-chair Willie Jackson said Labour did not want to be "really contesting and having a bad relationship with Te Pāti Māori", and the by-election was more a fight against the government. He said if Te Pāti Māori wanted a fight, he was up for it, but Labour would be running a respectful campaign. He said when Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP Parekura Horomia died in 2013, Te Pāti Māori contested that by-election. "When they start talking tikanga, let's just remember what happened when our rangatira died, they lined up. I get it that they want us to stand aside, but it's not going to happen." Henare would not say whether he would try again in 2026 if he did not win the by-election. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Tāmaki Makaurau by-election to be held in September
The death of Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Moana Tarsh Kemp late last month triggered the by-election. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone The Tāmaki Makaurau by-election will be held on Saturday 6 September. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon confirmed the date for the by-election this afternoon. The byelection was triggered by the death of Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Moana Tarsh Kemp late last month. Former journalist and broadcaster Oriini Kaipara will run for Te Pāti Māori, while Peeni Henare, who narrowly lost to Kemp at the last election, will contest the seat for the Labour. Hannah Tamaki will contest the seat for Vision New Zealand. Speaking at a post-cabinet conference, Luxon said National would not contest the vacant seat. "Across the Māori seats, we've typically not run candidates [and] where we have it's all been about a party vote campaign in general elections," Luxon said. "That's what our focus has been so, we don't see a need for us to run a candidate in Tāmaki Makaurau." Kaipara said last week she pledged to tackle the cost of living crisis with a focus on housing, youth homelessness, and food bills. "Māori are being attacked left, right and centre for purely existing. It's vile and it's not good enough," she said. "My role now is to move from covering the story to changing it." Henare said he was "humbled and honoured" to be selected by his party. Access to quality and affordable health services, affordable housing and relief from the rising cost of living were a top priority. "Tāmaki Makaurau is where I was born and is my home. I know the challenges that many whānau are facing. The cost of living is putting significant pressure on whānau just to put kai on the table," "My focus is clear. To fight for real solutions so our people can flourish," Henare said. Luxon said it would be interesting to see whether the by-election would be a "real fight" or a "pillow fight" between Labour and Te Pāti Māori. He said he "felt sorry" for Henare, who he said was thrown "under the bus" by Labour leader Chris Hipkins at the last election for not finding another way to challenge the narrow loss. The Green Party have also ruled out running a candidate. The by-election Writ Day will be 30 July and the deadline for candidate nominations is midday Tuesday 5 August. The last day for the return of the Writ will be Sunday 28 September. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Tāmaki Makaurau byelection: Kaipara will fight hard to retain seat for Te Pāti Māori
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii Te Pāti Māori hopes to retain the Tāmaki Makaurau seat until the next election. Former Newshub broadcaster Oriini Kaipara has been chosen to contest the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election for Te Pāti Māori . The by-election has been triggered by the death of Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Moana Natasha Kemp, who died suddenly two weeks ago . Kaipara (Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Rangitihi) was selected at a behind-closed-doors hui at Hoani Waititi Marae on Thursday evening. Co-leader Rawiri Waititi told Morning Report every election was a fight, and the party was prepared to go into the fight to ensure it kept a hold of the Tāmaki Makaurau seat through to the next election. "Because we believe that the seat is a Te Pāti Māori seat right up to the next election and unfortunately, Takutai's untimely death means that we're having to fight for it again." Labour's Peeni Henare previously held the Tāmaki Makaurau seat, before being beaten by Kemp in the 2023 election by a slim margin of 42 votes. Henare had held the seat since 2014. RNZ understands Labour's internal nomination process is underway and will close on Friday. Oriini Kaipara has a vast amount of experience, Te Pāti Māori says. Photo: Screenshot / YouTube / Newshub Waititi said Kaipara was a strong candidate and brought with her a vast amount of experience. Kaipara has most recently worked as Pouwhiringa Māori culture lead for the New Zealand Olympic Committee. In 2021, she became the first wāhine Māori with moko kauae to present a mainstream primetime news bulletin, when she fronted Newshub Live at 6pm. Kaipara said she was pledging to tackle the cost of living crisis facing Tāmaki whānau, with a focus on housing, youth homelessness, and skyrocketing food bills. She said if elected her key priorities would be securing mana whenua first right of refusal on significant private land, driving kaupapa Māori housing solutions to eliminate rangatahi houselessness, and expending investment in kaupapa Māori education models such as Te Aho Matua. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is yet to announce the date for a by-election. However, the Speaker of the House published the notice of vacancy in the Gazette on Wednesday, meaning the Governor-General will issue a writ within 21 days of 9 July, instructing the Chief Electoral Officer to conduct the by-election. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Former broadcaster Oriini Kaipara to contest Tāmaki Makaurau by-election for Te Pāti Māori
Oriini Kaipara. Photo: Screenshot / YouTube / Newshub Former broadcaster Oriini Kaipara has been chosen to contest the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election for Te Pāti Māori. Kaipara was selected at a behind-closed-doors hui at Hoani Waititi Marae on Thursday evening. The by-election has been triggered by the death of Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Moana Natasha Kemp , who died suddenly two weeks ago. Te Pāti Māori said Kaipara (Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Rangitihi) had dedicated decades amplifying the stories of Māori communities, holding prime ministers to account, and chairing nationally televised Māori electorate debates. The party co-leaders said she would bring a lifetime of leadership and advocacy, and that she understood the deep connection between whakapapa and politics. "Her voice is exactly what Tāmaki needs to honour the memory of Takutai Moana and to ensure Māori voices are heard loud and clear in Parliament," said co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. Kaipara said she was pledging to tackle the cost of living crisis facing Tāmaki whānau, with a focus on housing, youth homelessness, and skyrocketing food bills. "Māori are being attacked left, right and centre for purely existing. It's vile and it's not good enough," she said. "My role now is to move from covering the story to changing it." She said if elected her key priorities would be securing mana whenua first right of refusal on significant private land, driving kaupapa Māori housing solutions to eliminate rangatahi houselessness, and expending investment in kaupapa Māori education models such as Te Aho Matua. Te Kou o Rehua Panapa, a former youth worker at Manurewa Marae had also sought the nomination. Hīkoi leader Eru Kapa-Kingi had earlier ruled out running. Kaipara has most recently worked as Pouwhiringa Māori culture lead for the New Zealand Olympic Committee. In 2021, she became the first wāhine Māori with moko kauae to present a mainstream news bulletin, when she fronted Newshub Live at 6pm. Labour's Peeni Henare previously held the Tāmaki Makaurau seat, before being beaten by Kemp in the 2023 election by a slim margin of 42 votes. Henare had held the seat since 2014. RNZ understands Labour's internal nomination process is underway and will close on Friday. The Prime Minister is yet to announce the date for a by-election. However, the Speaker of the House published the notice of vacancy in the Gazette on Wednesday, meaning the Governor-General will issue a writ within 21 days of July 9th, instructing the Chief Electoral Officer to conduct the by-election.
RNZ News
7 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Te Pāti Māori meeting tonight to decide candidate for upcoming Tāmaki Makarau by-election
A by-election for the Tāmaki Makarau seat has been sparked by the death of Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Moana Natasha Kemp two weeks ago. Photo: Supplied/ Te Pāti Māori Te Pāti Māori will meet on Thursday night to decide who will run in the upcoming Tāmaki Makarau by-election. The selection hui will take place at Hoani Waititi Marae at 6pm for Tāmaki electorate members only, with the successful candidate announced on Friday. The hui is not open to the public. The by-election was sparked by the death of Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Moana Natasha Kemp two weeks ago. Former broadcaster Oriini Kaipara announced on social media this week she would seek the party's nomination for the seat. Another putting their name forward is youth worker Te Kou o Rehua Panapa , whose candidacy was announced on the Opaea Marae Facebook page, the marae where Kemp was laid to rest. "In dedication to our beloved Mareikura, Takutai Moana Natasha Kemp, and with the full support of her whānau, we are proud to offer our support to Te Kou o Rehua Panapa, who will be standing as a candidate for Member of Parliament in Tāmaki Makaurau," the post read. "A dedicated kaimahi to our Mareikura, Te Kou has worked alongside her for many years, serving the people of Tāmaki with unwavering commitment and aroha. Te Kou will carry her legacy forward, committing his kaupapa to continuing and completing the important mahi she began." In a video to posted to Instagram, Toitū te Tiriti kaikōrero Eru Kapa-Kingi ruled out running for the seat after receiving messages from people encouraging him to do so. "Just to make it absolutely clear to everyone, I will not be running for the Tāmaki seat in the upcoming by-election," Kapa-Kingi said. "Still not for me, still my focus at the moment is my whānau and the wellbeing of my baby boy and being a present pāpā and showing up and building my 'hāwaikī itī' i roto i taku whare, i waenga i taku whānau." He was "still on the kaupapa" just in "different" ways, he said. Kapa-Kingi was number nine on the party list for the 2023 general election, and number 10 in 2020. He was once a parliamentary staffer for Te Pāti Māori and is a teaching fellow at the University of Auckland's Faculty of Law. His mother, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi is currently MP for Te Tai Tokerau. A potential candidate could be the party's lawyer, Tania Waikato, who told RNZ's Mata programme she was talking to "more than one" political party about running for Parliament in 2026. Tania Waikato speaking to RNZ's Mata programme. Photo: MATA / RNZ The Tauranga-based lawyer said she had previously been hesitant about running, but seeing the "disgusting" debate around the suspension of three Te Pāti Māori members prompted her to put her hat in the ring. "I'm going to probably be the most difficult to understand and difficult to predict politician that you have ever seen, because I do things in accordance with what my tīpuna tell me. And I will never align myself to any particular organisation or any particular kaupapa if my tīpuna are not saying to me, 'That is tika'. "That is what I will always do regardless of where I am, so it makes me difficult in some ways because I have a higher power to answer to. And I will not compromise that," Waikato said. Labour's Peeni Henare previously held the seat , before being beaten by Kemp in the 2023 election by a slim margin of 42 votes. Henare had held the seat since 2014, beating out the then-Māori Party's Rangi McLean. RNZ understands Labour's internal nomination process is underway and will close on Friday. The Prime Minister is yet to announce the date for a by-election. However, the Speaker of the House published the notice of vacancy in the Gazette on Wednesday, meaning the Governor-General will issue a writ within 21 days of 9 July, instructing the Chief Electoral Officer to conduct the by-election. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
