Te Pāti Māori is down two MPs after expelling Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and Tākuta Ferris, following several turbulent months that have split the party in two.
The MPs are expected to be moved from their offices within Te Pāti Māori corridors this week after the party’s co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer announced the decision to boot them from the party.
Both MPs remain defiant, pushing back against the decision while promising to continue their work as independents for the people who had elected them to Parliament.
Overnight, the party’s electorates voted on what discipline the two MPs should face for what the national council deemed to be “serious breaches”.
Te Tai Tokerau, the electorate held by Kapa-Kingi, was excluded from voting and Te Tai Tonga (for which Ferris is the elected MP) abstained.
They were also given the option to suspend or formally warn the two MPs.
During a press conference at Parliament today, the party’s co-leaders were murky on the specific offences that led to Kapa-Kingi and Ferris’ expulsion.
The Herald understands Ferris was accused of breaching the party’s constitution twice (by making disparaging remarks about the party to the media and not raising internal complaints directly with party president John Tamihere).
For Kapa-Kingi, it is understood issues with her conduct also related to her comments to the media, for not raising internal issues with the president and previously-reported financial overspend warnings.
The Herald understands the national council took particular issue with an interview Ferris did with 1News, and interviews Kapa-Kingi did with 1News and Far North media outlet Te Hiku.
Waititi and Ngarewa-Packer told journalists today’s decision followed six weeks of “rigorous process”, which included the Iwi Chairs Forum acting as mediators between the factions.
“Irreconcilable differences remained,” Ngarewa-Packer said.
Waititi said “we continue to reset our focus and our waka” to make the Christopher Luxon-led coalition a one-term Government.
“That requires discipline, structure, fortitude and unity ... we have begun serious and constructive conversations with the Labour Party and the Green Party.
“The people on the streets and at the polls have told us they want a Government led by our three parties at the helm.”
The co-leaders implied they would not invoke waka-jumping legislation which, if approved by the Speaker, would see the two MPs kicked out of Parliament. Until any such move is made, the MPs will stay in Parliament as independents.
As independents, they retain their current staff but lose access to the central pool of Te Pāti Māori resources and staff, such as the communications team, for example. The party itself also loses the portion of the resources attributed to those MPs.
The co-leaders were guarded on how the two other remaining MPs, Hana Rāwhiti-Maipi Clarke and Oriini Kaipara, feel about the ordeal. Both appeared, at least from the outside, close to the ousted MPs.
It has been a difficult few months for the party. In late June, Te Pāti Māori mourned the loss of colleague and “sister”, Tāmaki Makaurau MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp, who died after a battle with kidney disease.
In September, Kapa-Kingi was removed as party whip by the leadership with the role going to Ngarewa-Packer, the party’s co-leader.
Around the same time, Ferris came under fire for a social media post where he took issue with the ethnicity of Labour supporters campaigning for the Tāmaki Makaurau byelection.
The Herald understands several people within the party’s executive were enraged by the post.
The party said in a statement it did not condone the language used in the post and had instructed Ferris to remove the post. A few days later he doubled down with a social media video on the same topic.
Last month, activism group Toitū te Tiriti, which was regarded as one of Te Pāti Māori’s closest allies, cut ties with the party. A few weeks later, Eru Kapa-Kingi, son of ousted MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and one of the most prominent figures in Toitū te Tiriti, accused the party of running “effectively a dictatorship model”.
This led to the party emailing its membership database a series of documents containing serious allegations against Eru and Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. These accusations related to warnings Mariameno could overspend her budget and to an alleged incident involving Eru Kapa-Kingi on Budget Day 2024.
Eru Kapa-Kingi responded by calling the claims a “defamatory” attempt to discredit his allegations of a dictatorial leadership style while Mariameno Kapa-Kingi reassured her Northland constituents “I am still your MP” and that it was “time to get back to mahi [work] for my people”.
The decision to expel Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and Ferris is effectively immediately. Ferris, the elected MP for Te Tai Tonga, released a statement soon after the news of his expulsion was made public.
“This decision is plainly unconstitutional, contrary to tikanga Māori and a direct affront to the values this movement was founded upon.”
Ferris said he would continue to serve the people of Te Tai Tonga, who had given him the mandate to represent them by making him their MP.
“No executive has the authority to strip the mandate of our electorate – that power rests with Te Tai Tonga alone.”
He rejected the decision “in the strongest possible terms” and was resolute his actions were in line with the party’s constitution.
Kapa-Kingi also took to social media to say the change was “unconstitutional” and she planned to “challenge and appeal” the decision. She said herself and her electorate were barred from the meeting “despite repeated requests to attend.”
A defiant Kapa-Kingi said she would continue to “show up for the people” of Northland and do the job she was elected to do.
Minutes of a previous meeting of the council on October 23, seen by the Herald, included concerns of Te Tai Hauāuru electorate representatives that the party was “bleeding membership” because of negative media attention brought by Te Tai Tokerau, the northern electorate represented by Kapa-Kingi.
Meanwhile, the Te Tai Tonga electorate had wanted the party to focus on reconciling with the Northland electorate.
According to the party’s constitution, the two MPs can appeal the decision at the next national hui, which is expected to happen on December 7. After that, the decision is final.
Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter. She joined the Herald in 2020 and has most recently focused on data journalism.