Māori votes can change the Government if we use them strategically – Mariameno Kapa-Kīngi
Opinion by
Mariameno Kapa-Kīngi
Northern Advocate·
3 mins to read
Whakapapa binds the name Mariameno Kapa-Kīngi across Te Tai Tokerau, Waikato and Te Whānau-ā-Apanui. Today, she stands firmly as the elected MP for Te Tai Tokerau. Her career has traversed many paths, each grounded in service to communities with a focus on iwi Māori, hapū, whānau, māmā, and wāhine. For Kapa-Kīngi, every decision is guided by mokopuna. Her work is driven by the understanding that actions taken now must ensure future generations will inherit a better situation than the one experienced today.
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Voting is our last chance to shift the direction of this Government. If we don’t show up, we risk being pushed even further out of spaces where decisions about our lives are made.
In 2024, thousands of us marched in a nationwide hīkoi, ascending the steps of Parliament. Our voiceswere heard across the world. That same energy must be carried into the national election at the ballot box come November.
Yet this election is not just about turning up. It is about being strategic with our vote.
To be Māori is to be political. It is also to be strategic. These two traits are innate to our Māori being.
We as Māori must vote strategically when using our party vote and candidate vote.
If we get this part right, we give ourselves the opportunity to have stronger Māori governance at the highest possible level.
I am committed to providing a strong Māori and Te Tai Tokerau voice in Parliament that has been supported by the candidate vote. And right now, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
For the past three years, Māori rights have been under siege. At the same time our people have endured an onslaught of crises across the cost of living, in housing, unemployment, weather events and now extreme fuel prices.
This election will be a close one. The left bloc of Parliament is only two seats away from changing the Government. Two seats e Māori mā. Those seats will determine whether we thrive or survive as a people.
The pathway is clear.
Māori have the choice to support the Greens or Labour with our party vote to create the numbers needed to form a left-wing Government.
The candidate vote, on the other hand, can be used to strengthen Māori representation by backing a candidate who must win in Te Tai Tokerau in order to enter Parliament.
Mariameno Kapa-Kingi
If we change the equation, we can change the Government.
I am aware this will challenge many of us. Often, we have always given both votes to one party. That is not wrong. But this election is different. If we split our votes with purpose, we can achieve greater Māori representation across parties and Parliament as a whole.
Some of us may still question whether our Māori voices and votes make a difference. Make no mistake: your voice and your vote is powerful. Our strength as a people has always come in numbers, whether that be in whānau, hapū or iwi.
When we move as one unit of Māori, we are a formidable force.
The power to create the changes needed for our mokopuna to live their Māori lives sits with us.
We are already seeing what can happen when we mobilise as a people, and our mokopuna are leading the way.
In 2014, only 54.9% of our enrolled rangatahi Māori aged 18-24 voted. At the last election, that number jumped to over 70%. That is our mokopuna rising. As a people, we must keep that momentum rising.
We must be intentional and vote with purpose.
Right now, we are being forced to decide whether Māori voices will be heard or silenced. The only way to halt those who seek our demise is to join together and vote strategically.
Make your numbers count. Make the right decision. Keep Māori in government and embed our voices where they belong.
