Community Leader Dave Letele pays tribute to Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Moana Natasha Kemp who has died following kidney disease
Te Pāti Māori has selected journalist and former broadcaster Oriini Kaipara to contest the Tāmaki Makaurau byelection after the death of its MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp.
The party confirmed its selection on social media, calling Kaipara (Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Rangitihi) a “longtime West Auckland advocate”.
“Oriini’sdeep whakapapa to Tāmaki Makaurau is grounded in her upbringing at Hoani Waititi Marae, where she was raised by her mother in a strong Māori environment,” said Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.
“She has dedicated decades amplifying the stories of Māori communities, holding prime ministers to account and chairing nationally televised Māori electorate debates.”
In 2023, Kaipara joined the New Zealand Olympic Committee as the organisation’s Pouwhiringa Māori culture lead, a role that involved her helping the committee in its Te Ao Māori journey.
Kemp’s whānau paid tribute to a woman who was “full of love, leadership and light”, a pillar of their family who was “love in action”.
“She was bold, beautiful and she was ours. We followed her example, as a whānau, and she set the standard for us... this generation and the generations to come.”
