Former East Coast Rugby CEO to take on Whaitiri for Ikaroa-Rawhiti seat

Cushla Tangaere-Manuel

by Joseph Los’e

Labour has named former East Coast Rugby CEO Cushla Tangaere-Manuel as its candidate to take on Meka Whaitiri, who jumped waka from Labour to join Te Pāti Māori for the 2023 election.

Tangaere-Manuel’s confirmation as the Labour candidate for Ikaroa-Rawhiti ends weeks of speculation and conjecture from political adversaries that Labour could not find suitable and willing people prepared to stand against Whaitiri — whose resignation as a Cabinet Minister from the Government in May forced Labour into a quick race to find a replacement.

Names being touted as potential candidates included whānau of former Ikaroa-Rāwhiti stalwart the late Parekura Horomia, and the Minister of Māori Development and co-chair of the Labour Māori caucus Willie Jackson, who has whakapapa to the region.

As Labour breathes a sign of relief by naming its candidate, Tangaere-Manuel will know she will be in for a real scrap to beat Whaitiri, who has held the electorate as a Labour MP since 2013.

But in Tangaere-Manuel, Labour has found a more than worthy candidate and someone who is not afraid to get her hands dirty for the Labour cause and retain its strong vice-like hold on Ikaroa-Rāwhiti, as she has shown with her mahi for Ngati Porou East Coast.

Like Whaitiri, Tangaere-Manuel is well known in Ikaroa-Rāwhiti. Many in the electorate still believe Whaitiri’s defection to Te Pāti Māori could have been handled with more mana and dignity.

Tangaere-Manuel spent nine years as CEO of Ngati Porou East Coast — the smallest region in the domestic rugby championship — taking the team from a position of being on the brink of bankruptcy to one with an annual surplus.

Along with cementing East Coast’s rugby future, she has also been instrumental in developing the region’s youth rugby competition, putting East Coast Ngati Porou in a strong position for the future.

Tangaere-Manuel joined the New Zealand Māori Rugby Board in 2020.

She was head girl at Ngata Memorial College and her professional background, before she took up her pivotal role in NPEC rugby, was as a journalist in TV and radio.

Prior to her role in sports administration, Cushla was a reporter on Marae, fronted Māori TV’s Maorioke talent show and produced numerous shows for TV.

“Cushla has the skills, experience, work ethic and values to advocate for Maori and will complement our strong Labour Maori caucus whānau,” Jackson said.

“Cushla is well known and highly regarded in the electorate having served as the CEO of the mighty sky blue Ngati Porou East Coast (NPEC) rugby union, the only iwi-based union, for nine years.

“On her watch at NPEC she turned the club around both on the field and off, from being in overdraft to annual surpluses, building a new headquarters and growing the number of representative teams.

“She has paved the way for other wahine to succeed in sport administration. She was chair of the Heartland Secretariat in 2021, a difficult year due to Covid-19, and was appointed as Maori rugby programme manager at New Zealand Rugby.

“Cushla is a strong wahine toa and certainly no push over.  I am confident she will win Ikaroa Rawhiti and continue the long history of Labour representation in the electorate.”

Tangaere-Manuel said: “I am honoured to be confirmed as the candidate for Ikaroa Rawhiti, starting  a new page in my career.