The Labour Party will campaign “vigorously” to win back the Māori seats, with leader Chris Hipkins expressing no concern if that means Te Pāti Māori is destroyed and out of Parliament after next year’s general election.
One of his most senior MPs, Willie Jackson, said he’s “absolutely” comfortable if Labour’s efforts result in no representation for Te Pāti Māori, arguing “that’s what the game is” and “they try take us out, we try take them out” [sic].
But despite the criticisms by Labour of Te Pāti Māori, which is currently engulfed in a civil war and yesterday announced the expulsion of two MPs amid claims of breaches of the party’s constitution, Hipkins wouldn’t rule out working with Te Pāti Māori should the parties have the numbers to form a Government.
“Lots can change in a year. We will make our decisions and they’ll be principled decisions and we’ll set them out closer to the election,” Hipkins said.
The Labour leader said his party would be “competing vigorously to win every one of the Māori electorates at the next election”. Hipkins’ party currently holds Ikaroa-Rāwhiti, while Te Pāti Māori has MPs in the other six Māori seats.
Te Pāti Māori needs those seats to have representation in Parliament, as it received less than 5% of the party vote in the 2023 election. Most recent polls have shown it remains under 5%.
That means if Labour was to win each of the Māori seats, it would have the effect of forcing Te Pāti Māori out of Parliament.
That’s what happened in 2017, when Labour ran a strategy of not putting its Māori seat candidates on the party list, requiring voters to elect them in the electorates for them to make it into Parliament.
The difference is that Te Pāti Māori – known as the Māori Party at that point – had given National confidence and supply support through the fifth National Government. It’s now far further to the left and is seen as a potential supporter of a future Labour-led Government.
Asked by the Herald whether he was comfortable with Te Pāti Māori having no representation in Parliament, Hipkins responded: “They’re doing a pretty good job of that for themselves at the moment.”
He said the main feedback he had received from Māori voters was that “they want to ensure that there’s a change of Government at the next election”.
“My message to them is if you want a change of Government at the next election, then vote Labour ... I want Labour’s share of the vote to be as large as possible. I want to win as many seats as possible and that includes winning all of the Māori electorates.”
Hipkins was also asked what value he thought Te Pāti Māori brought to Parliament.
“At the moment, they are more focused on themselves than focused on tackling the issues facing New Zealand. They’re not bringing a lot to the debate at the moment,” he replied.
Jackson, Labour’s most senior Māori MP, had no issue if Te Pāti Māori is out of Parliament and said he doesn’t know what value the party brings.
“The reality is [Labour’s] got a real opportunity. At the same time, I don’t take any joy in what is happening. All parties go through these internals. Disappointing for them, disappointing for a lot of our people.
“It’s their business. We have to concentrate on getting ourselves organised and we will.”
In announcing the expulsion of Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and Tākuta Ferris yesterday, Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi said his party wanted to return its focus to bringing down the current Government, claiming “serious and constructive conversations with the Labour Party and the Green Party” had begun.
Hipkins said Waititi had rung him yesterday to inform him of the party’s decision to expel its two MPs. He said Waititi didn’t share any more information than what’s in the public domain.
Jackson, who is close friends with Te Pāti Māori President John Tamihere, also wasn’t sure what conversation Waititi was referring to.
“That’s not been happening. I have casual conversations with them. But we haven’t had any ... what are they saying? They’re talking about coalition conversations, so that hasn’t happened.”
He said Te Pāti Māori may have “mistakenly thought” his “odd chat” with them may have been “coalition negotiations”.
“It might be misinterpreting that ... I have a good relationship [with them], but no formal coalition negotiations have taken place.”
Labour has for months now been saying Te Pāti Māori is not in shape to be part of a future Government and needs to address its internal issues before Labour would be comfortable with it playing any role in a future governing arrangement.
The current strife began after the Herald revealed in September that Ferris had taken issue with people of non-Māori ethnicities campaigning for Labour in the recent Tāmaki Makaurau byelection.
Te Pāti Māori’s internal dramas then expanded after allegations of a dictatorship style of leadership were made against Tamihere by Kapa-Kingi’s son, Eru Kapa-Kingi. The party responded in kind, leading to an ongoing row.
Jamie Ensor is a senior political reporter in the NZ Herald press gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the Newshub press gallery office. He was a finalist this year for Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards.