Finance Minister Nicola Willis claims questions should be asked about Te Pāti Māori’s use of taxpayer money following serious allegations against one of the party’s MPs and her son.
It comes as Willis and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon call on Labour leader Chris Hipkins to rule out working with Te Pāti Māori ahead of next year’s general election.
“Those who throw stones better be very very sure they haven’t made any errors or mistakes when it comes to their use of taxpayers’ dollars,” Willis said on Tuesday.
“I would encourage those affected by these allegations to ask those questions of the party leadership broadly.”
Last night, Te Pāti Māori emailed its members a raft of documents that contained allegations against Te Tai Tokerau MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, including overspending her budget, and an alleged incident involving her son, Eru Kapa-Kingi.
“It is always disturbing to see civil conflict within a party. A party that can’t manage itself certainly can’t have a role in managing the country,” she told reporters at Parliament.
“It seems they declared war on their caucus member, which seems unwise.”
Labour leader Chris Hipkins was tight-lipped about whether his party would work with Te Pāti Māori in light of the allegations, saying he would establish which parties he would and would not work at some point before the next election.
The allegations against Eru centre on a alleged incident on Budget Day 2024, the same day a large protest took place on Parliament’s forecourt.
The allegations against Mariameno are based on concerns raised by officials that the MP was in danger of overspending her office’s budget by up to $133,000.
According to the documents sent to party members, officials had recommended “urgent action” to ensure the MP’s staff were paid.
The email, sent to members shortly before 10pm, said documentation had been prepared “in direct response” to recent claims made by Eru Kapa-Kingi alleging the party had a leadership style akin to a “dictatorship”.
Labour is expected to face increasing pressure over whether or not they are open to working with Te Pāti Māori ahead of the 2026 general election.
Hipkins did reiterate previous comments that the party appeared to be “a long way away from being able to play a constructive role in Government.”
“The events of the last 48 hours have demonstrated that once again.”
Labour MP Peeni Henare, who recently contested unsuccessfully the Tāmaki Makaurau seat against Te Pāti Māori’s Oriini Kaipara, said he had known Mariameno his whole life.
“She is a woman that has always operated with high integrity ... That’s why I’m curious as to how we find ourselves here,” he said.
“It’s clear there is a problem here ... We are clear that the Māori Party are going to have to sort their stuff out.”
Asked about the party’s allegations, Green MP and rival Te Tai Tokerau candidate MP Hūhana Lyndon said she was “worried generally”.
She suggested it was unfortunate the focus on internal politics was overshadowing the the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) legislation in the House.
“We know that we need to focus on what is important for te iwi Māori. Can’t comment on Te Pati Māori.”
She said she hadn’t experienced the sort of situation currently unfolding, where a party is releasing information and making allegations against one of its own MPs.
Labour MP Arena Williams said she hoped the issue was resolved quickly and it was “not good for anyone when we have Māori politicians fighting with each other and having these disagreements in public.”
“I hope that [Party President] John Tamihere resolves some of the issues inside the tent rather than being on the radio and discussing them out loud”
“God help New Zealand”
Meanwhile, NZ First MP Jenny Marcroft said the email to Te Pāti Māori members was disrespectfu to the Te Tai Tokerau MP.
“This is a party that talked about being part of the next Government. We can see the shambles it is now. God help New Zealand if that happens.”
Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter. She joined the Herald in 2020 and has most recently focused on data journalism.