Politicians of all stripes need to be accountable to the public, this includes Te Pāti Māori – Editorial

Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Rawiri Waititi (left) and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer during their reset announcement at Parliament this week. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Te Pāti Māori continues to display a disregard for this country’s democratic ideas and institutions.

While the party may not take us, the idea of government or the House of Representatives seriously, we still need to treat Te Pāti Māori seriously.

Despite being openly hostile to public accountability, they have still been elected by communities around the country to be their voice in Wellington. Part of that job has always meant taking and answering tough questions from other parliamentarians and journalists who are acting on behalf of their constituents and readers.

What Labour leader Chris Hipkins said yesterday is absolutely correct of all political leaders, including Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi, the co-leaders of Te Pāti Māori.

They need to front up, even if they don’t like the questions being asked.

This year particularly, Waititi has accused the news media of “relentlessly attacking” the party and Te Pāti Māori has even made bombastic claims of “predatory media behaviour” and suggesting reporters were “pouncing out of bushes”.

During last month’s Tāmaki Makaurau byelection campaign, Ngarewa-Packer also said they chose not to engage with “mainstream tabloid aggression” because of safety concerns.

On Thursday, Waititi and Ngarewa-Packer abruptly left a media stand-up after a question about allegations of dictatorial leadership.

Eru Kapa-Kingi, son of Te Pāti Māori MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, has claimed the party’s leadership had “effectively a dictatorship model” and condemned an alleged “ego-driven narrative” within the party that it had ownership over the Māori electorates.

Te Pāti Māori has rejected the allegations, as is their right. But the co-leaders are yet to answer any questions over the party’s recent internal politics.

At the press conference yesterday, Waititi warned questions wouldn’t be taken that weren’t related to the “reset” of the party.

When a reporter rightfully asked anyway, Waititi walked off and took Ngarewa-Packer with him.

The so-called reset for the party was seemingly to convince supporters the party will change and wants to form a coalition Government with Labour and the Green Party.

It was acknowledgment that some of the behaviour from those connected to the party has been viewed as out of order by supporters and allies in Labour and Greens.

Hipkins’ stance towards Te Pāti Māori has hardened in recent weeks, perhaps realising they could sink his chances of returning to the ninth floor of the Beehive next year.

“My advice to all political party leaders, not just Te Pāti Māori, is our job is to answer questions. Our job is to be accountable. And we might not always like those questions, but we still need to front up and answer them,” he said.

Ngarewa-Packer, meanwhile, described her party as having experienced “growth spurts and growing pains”.

“We’ve been tested in ways we’ve never been tested before as a movement,” she said. “We’re tightening the lashings. Clarifying roles, front-footing communication, and you’ll see it and you’ll feel it.”

Te Pāti Māori, however, returned to normal practice by the end of Thursday, which featured recently elected MP Oriini Kaipara’s maiden speech and Speaker of the House Gerry Brownlee suspending Parliament because of an unauthorised haka at its conclusion.

The reset, it appeared, was short-lived.