Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi is being accused of theatrics and weaponising Te Wiki o te Reo Māori by only responding to media questions in te reo Maori on his first public appearance at Parliament since MP Tākuta Ferris’ latest explosive remarks.
Labour MP Shanan Halbert, who said he speaks English and a “bit of te reo Maori”, went as far as to say Te Pati Māori was “starting to create an exclusive bunch of Māoris” and it was important “at a personal level we speak both languages”.
“What’s important to me is that we include all Māoris in their te reo journey. I have been on mine for 20 years. Some of my friends have only been on it for one year. Other friends are absolutely fluent,” said Halbert.
“But most of all, this week is about celebrating where everyone’s at on their journey. I applaud that and I encourage it.”
Halbert helped run Labour’s failed Tamaki Makaurau byelection campaign, which Te Pāti Māori candidate Oriini Kaipara won.
The relationship between Te Pāti Māori and Labour has been in the spotlight since Ferris’ comments criticising ethnic minorities for campaigning in a Māori electorate. Labour leader Chris Hipkins has said it would be hard to work with Te Pāti Māori if Ferris’ view was shared more broadly within the party.
Te Pāti Māori has largely ignored media requests in recent days, with conflicting reports about the leadership’s view on Ferris’ remarks. While Hipkins said party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer had apologised privately, President John Tamihere backed the substance of Ferris’ comments.
Waititi spoke to media on Parliament’s black and white tiles on Tuesday afternoon, the first time since Ferris last week doubled down on his remarks.
He would only answer questions in te reo Māori. He made the point that it was Te Wiki o te Reo Māori. Later in the House, he and Ngarewa-Packer both spoke in English.
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week) is in its 50th year and is intended to celebrate te reo Māori and encourage its use. According to the 2023 Census, 4.3% of New Zealanders said they could have a conversation in te reo Māori.
Later, reporters asked MPs from various parties for their view on only speaking te Reo Māori.
New Zealand First MP Shane Jones called it “performative”.
“The issues they represent, they need to be communicated in both languages, because still a lot of whanau, they get their information in English. It’s performative and it’s the sort of thing that sadly does put a lot of people off the reo because it becomes weaponised.”
Tama Potaka, a National MP and Minister for Māori Development, said it was important audiences “get to understand what is being said and what’s being communicated”.
He said hopefully news outlets could include more bilingual options for audiences and that journalists were encouraged to learn more te reo Māori.
“I think it is important to have a communication that works between those people asking the questions like yourselves. You perform an important function and you have serious responsibilities you serve but also the general public.
“My expectation is that there is a bit of give and take, that people do learn more te reo Māori. I hope that is what people want to do. But don’t force it on people.”
Act leader David Seymour said people should be “practical”.
“The point of conversing and talking to one another is to share ideas and information. That kind of attitude just stops that happening. You have got to ask yourself: Are you trying to promote te reo Maori and Te Wiki o te Reo Maori, or are you being obstructive and obstinate?
“I think too much of Te Pati Maori is about theatrics, point-scoring and division. Not enough is about how we actually solve some problems.”
Seymour also likened only using reo Maori in this context to making the language a “weapon”.
“He’s using it to make a political point and he’s taking advantage of the fact that most of you journalists can’t speak te reo and therefore you’re at a disadvantage in the conversation. That, I think, is using something, in this case Māori, to put other people at a disadvantage. A pretty good definition of a weapon.”
Labour leader Hipkins said the language Te Pāti Māori used was a matter for the party.
“It’s a choice for them as to whether they communicate with the entirety of the New Zealand public or not,” he said.
Hipkins said the media could provide subtitles. He also said he had “a lot of sympathy” for Halbert’s point.
Jamie Ensor is a 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.