Wellington’s Ata Tuhakaraina third candidate to contest Ikaroa-Rāwhiti seat

Vision NZ candidate Ata Tuhakaraina is running for the Ikaroa-Rāwhiti seat. Photo / Vision NZ

A third candidate has entered the race for the Ikaroa-Rāwhiti seat and has shared his plan to help other Māori men.

Vision NZ candidate Ata Tuhakaraina, 38, (Ngāti Hauā) is running for the seat despite living in the Wellington suburb of Petone - just outside the Ikaroa-Rāwhiti electorate.

He says “I don’t see that as a concern” as he grew up in the Hutt Valley and feels he still represents the people in that wider community.

Tuhakaraina was not aware he lived outside the electorate until he was informed by Hawke’s Bay Today.

Tuhakaraina launched his campaign last week and is the only man running for the Ikaroa-Rāwhiti seat, up against incumbent MP Meka Whaitiri (Te Pāti Māori) and Cushla Tangaere-Manuel (Labour).

It is something he believes could benefit him in the election on October 14, and a key reason he decided to run was to help other Māori men.

He is a champion for the Man Up program run by Destiny Church and would love to see it rolled out on a wider scale if elected.

“I just love to see the transformation in these men’s lives after just spending 10 to 15 weeks of doing [Man Up] and see them flourish.”

Tuhakaraina said his life turned around in 2018 when he completed the Man Up programme, which helped him give up alcohol, become a committed father and husband, progress in his career and buy a home - after growing up in a home with domestic violence and without much money.

“Being able to break those barriers and show other men that ‘Hey, there are things beyond what is here in your current environment’ is what lit things up for me. And [I want to] spread that to other people.”

Tuhakaraina visited Hawke’s Bay for a week following the February cyclone to help with the clean-up as part of a Man Up group, and said he also wanted to help the region in its ongoing recovery.

Tuhakaraina works for a BNZ support team helping people in financial trouble.

Vision NZ is closely affiliated with Brian Tamaki’s Destiny Church - which Tuhakaraina attends - and the party is led by Hannah Tamaki.

Ikaroa-Rāwhiti is one of seven Māori electorates and it covers a huge area along the East Coast of the North Island - from Gisborne down to the Hutt Valley.