Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere is hoping the surge to the Māori party continues with the special votes as two crucial electorates, Te Tai Tokerau and Tāmaki Makaurau, remain in play.
Te Pāti Māori secured four of the seven Māori electorates and will return to Parliament with at least twice as many MPs than they had before Saturday’s amazing result.
The party claimed victory with Rawiri Waititi in Waiāriki, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer in Te Tai Hauāuru, Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke in Hauraki-Waikato and Takuta Ferris in Te Tai Tonga.
The win by Ferris will help ease some of the pressures on Waititi and Ngarewa-Packer, the co leaders of Te Pāti Māori, as the new MP is a well rounded and an educated speaker in the Māori and academic worlds.
“We still have two electorates and with 567,000 votes still in play, it ain’t over till it’s over,” Tamihere told the Herald.
“That’s still 20 per cent of votes to be counted. In 2020 the special votes got Debbie into parliament on the back of our win in Waiariki.
“We did very well and I think there is a possibility of a fifth seat.”
Tamihere said the last-minute decision to stand Te Pāti Māori candidates in general electorate seats also paid off “without us having any hoardings or doing any work, won hundreds of votes” - costing Labour potential victories.
Tamihere’s name was on the Te Atatu ballot paper and he received 882 votes. Incumbent Phit Twyford trails National candidate Angee Nicholas by 30 votes. Former Te Pāti Māori Tāmaki Makaurau candidate Rangi McLean pulled 1029 votes in Manurewa and Jacqui Harema was fifth, securing 442 votes for the party in Kelston.
“We did no campaigning but managed to get votes and while our main focus will be on the seven Māori electorates, standing candidates in more electorates will be something we can look at for the future,” Tamihere said.
“The Māori surge is on and the Māori movement can never be stopped.”
Te Pāti Māori was decimated when former leader Te Ururoa Flavell lost the Waiariki seat at the 2017 election.
Tamihere took over control of the party the following year and within two years of hardened campaigning, Te Pāti Māori was back in parliament as a two-member team in 2020.
In 2023, they are now a team of four.
Waiariki
Waititi maintained a strong lead in Waiariki throughout election night and was more than 11,000 votes ahead of his closest competitor.
He told supporters gathered in Rotorua on election night that “the tide is turning” and called on Māori and non-Māori voters who were tired of being left behind to throw their support behind his team.
“We welcome Pākeha to our waka. All non-Māori are welcome on our waka, we will listen to you, we will care for you, we will feed you, we will house you and we will make sure you are valued and loved. We will not leave you behind.”
He also shared an emotional tribute to his late mother who he described as a pillar of strength and support.
“She was my backbone and kept me strong through any challenges I faced. She always told me to ‘work hard and build a brighter future for generations to come, for our mokopuna’.”
Waititi pledged Te Pāti Māori would uphold and fulfil those aspirations and forge a future where mokopuna Māori would flourish.
“Our policy platform ensures that we get ourselves well and that we are at our best. Whānau wellbeing is what drives us and that will never change.”
Te Tai Hauāuru
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer won Te Tai Hauāuru with a margin of more than 6000 votes.
Ngarewa-Packer said Māori were hurting and the sway in support across the Māori electorates was the outcome.
She thanked her competitor Soraya Peke-Mason for helping prove political campaigns could be run positively and respectfully.
“I just want to mihi to Soraya, we ran a clean campaign here in Te Tai Hauāuru as whanaunga (relatives). I think that given the climate and everything that we’ve been dealing with, we showed that we can politic positively.
“We are not the ‘virus’ and we are not a ‘problem’ that needs to be punished. We have been viral in our movement, and our people have spoken.”
Ngarewa-Packer said Te Pāti Māori candidates across the country should be proud of what they achieved and thanked voters for getting involved and stepping up in this election.
“Our people have come, and they’ve risen, and they’ve showed everybody what matters by raising their voices and placing their votes.”
Hauraki-Waikato
Kā pū te ruha, ka hao te rangatahi - As one net is cast aside, a new one takes it place.
Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke has won the Hauraki Waikato electorate, making her the youngest elected MP since 1853.
The victory for Te Pāti Māori marked the beginning of a political career for Maipi-Clarke, 21, and the end for Nanaia Mahuta, 53, after serving 27 years in parliament.
Mahuta was the ‘Mother of the House’ and the first female Minister of Foreign Affairs, she was the first female MP to serve in Parliament with a moko kauae and her career span makes her one of the country’s longest-serving female MPs.
While the race between the two candidates was close, Maipi-Clarke came out ahead by just over 1000 votes, with 100 per cent of votes counted.
Nanaia Mahuta called Maipi Clarke on Saturday evening to concede and congratulate her.
Te Ao Māori news broadcast the call which saw Mahuta pledge to support Maipi-Clarke in advancing the aspirations of Hauraki Waikato.
She wished her competitor well for the future, but also warned the journey ahead would be challenging as a ‘blue wave’ was about to hit Parliament.
Maipi-Clarke acknowledged the legacy and huge gains Mahuta achieved for Māori throughout her career and said she was a huge inspiration, not just for her, but young Māori women across the country.
When asked about the challenges ahead and confronting the incoming ‘blue wave’, Maipi Clarke said coming up against opposition and challenge was nothing new for Māori.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a blue wave or red wave, Māori have been in opposition our whole lives, but we survive and we don’t give up.
“Māori have always survived and stayed strong in times of crisis, with examples like the floods, like Cyclone Gabrielle, like Covid. Māori came to the forefront, our marae stepped up and supported their communities regardless of their age, race or gender.
“For a long time, I’ve challenged with the slogan, ‘here and never again’... we are here and never again will we be suppressed no matter what the government looks like.”
Te Tai Tonga
Tākuta Ferris secured Te Tai Tonga for Te Pāti Māori, ousting Rino Tirikatene of the Labour Party who held the electorate since 2011.
Ferris was with whānau watching the results come in from Whakatū (Nelson) and said despite many saying he ran a stronger campaign in this election, he believed more Māori were choosing to stand up and be heard.
“I think the difference this time is that our people stood up and actually came out during this election. Whatever the result, it’s really clear that our people are on the move, our people are more engaged and from here on out, that movement can only get stronger.”
Ferris told Te Ao Māori News that he and his colleagues would continue to champion kaupapa Māori no matter what challenges lay ahead in parliament. He called on Māori across the motu to get involved and be a part of genuine change.
“From here on whānau, we’ve got to just pay more attention, be more present, stand up, know who we are and never back down.”
Additional reporting RNZ
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