Takuta Ferris has taken issue with the ethnicity of Labour supporters campaigning for the Tāmaki Makaurau byelection. Photo / RNZ
Te Pāti Māori MP Tākuta Ferris is under fire for a social media post taking issue with the ethnicity of Labour supporters campaigning for the Tāmaki Makaurau byelection.
In text posted over an image of Labour MPs and volunteers campaigning for Peeni Henare in the Tāmaki Makaurau electorate, Ferris said: “This blows my mind!!
“Indians, Asians, Black [sic] and Pākehā campaigning to take a Māori seat from Māori,” he said, adding multiple “exploding head” emojis and pictures of himself looking confused and shaking his head.
A spokeswoman for Te Pāti Māori said it “does not condone the language used in that post”.
“We have spoken with Tākuta and instructed him to remove it.”
The post has now been removed.
“We wholeheartedly apologise for any hurt it has caused,” the party said. “Our movement is, and always has been, for the people. We leave nobody behind. We value and appreciate the contribution that Tangata Tiriti and Tangata Moana make every day in building a Tiriti-centric Aotearoa.
“This has come off the back of a very raw and difficult few weeks, following the loss of our māreikura, Takutai Tarsh Kemp. Our team has been in the trenches, feeling the weight of constant attack and pressure, and sometimes that hurt spills over in ways that do not reflect who we are as a kaupapa or leaders.
“We stand strong in our kaupapa, envisioning an Aotearoa Hou that treats everyone as we would on our marae - welcomed, fed, housed, kept safe, and loved. Manaakitanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi are the foundations of all our policies.”
Labour’s Māori campaign chairman, Willie Jackson, told the Herald that Ferris needed to talk to his co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, who just three days ago said her party cared about all New Zealanders and not just Māori.
“Mr Ferris is with us at the Koroneihana, where the Queen has just welcomed Pacific and Central America leaders to the marae,” said Jackson.
“He seems to be offside not only with his leader but also with the new Queen. He needs to grow up.”
He said Māori had “relationships with all races” and all of Labour backed Henare.
Race Relations Commissioner Dr Melissa Derby said: “Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission affirms that every New Zealander has the right to participate in the democratic processes of the nation, without fear of discrimination.”
Ferris apologised in Parliament earlier this year after the privileges committee found he had deliberately misled the House with comments he made during a general debate last September.
This afternoon, Ngarewa-Packer posted a Facebook livestream in which she acknowledged the hurt caused by Ferris’ comments, and explained what sparked them.
“We’re not just up against a Māori seat, we’re actually up against a whole lot of general MPs. There’s a whole lot of general MPs that Labour has – and the whole Labour machinery has come over us.
“It’s not apples with apples. It’s not about the force of one Māori candidate going up against another Māori candidate. It’s actually us up against the mainstream engine room of Labour.
“When one of ours comes out fighting, it’s because of the way we’re finding ourselves, not like we were in our general elections.”
She also took aim at former Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern’s endorsement of Henare yesterday.
“I get that you’re backing your person. But you’re backing your person in a Māori electorate.”
She said there was “some triggering korero”.
“I’m sorry that people are hurt. And I’m sorry that we’ve been raw for some of that defensiveness. And we have to apologise for that, quite rightly.
“I also want it known that I love all our MPs, we love our brothers and sisters, and we will stand by our MPs no matter what.”
Earlier this week, the Herald’s The Front Page published a story featuring Ngarewa-Packer saying Te Pāti Māori cared not just for Māori, but all New Zealanders.
“I can see where that narrative comes from, but our actions completely say the opposite. The hīkoi shows we are completely the opposite,” she said.
“Our support for other people, Palestine, our support for environmental issues, and our support for everyone being well, completely show the opposite. We want to look after all workers and all New Zealanders.”
She said that, while Te Pāti Māori was an indigenous-led party, it was “never about living alone”.
Saturday marks the final day for voting in the Tāmaki Makaurau byelection, in which Te Pāti Māori’s candidate is former broadcaster Oriini Kaipara.
Voting began on August 25, and the turnout has so far been low. As of September 2, just 3681 votes had been cast. There are about 44,000 people enrolled in the electorate.