Labour MP Willie Jackson says Tākuta Ferris is handing “political extremists” ammunition to “paint Te Pati Māori as too extremist to ever work with the Labour Party to kick this Government out”.
The co-chair of the party’s Māori caucus says it is a “matter for Te Pati Māori leadership to fix”. Neither Debbie Ngarewa-Packer nor Rawiri Waititi have yet fronted publicly to explain how their party is handling Ferris’ explosive comments about ethnic minorities.
A Te Ao Māori News report with comments from party president John Tamihere states a tikanga-based process is under way within the party to settle the issue.
The Herald has this morning again contacted Te Pāti Māori for comment on the situation, including how the tikanga process is progressing, though previous requests on Ferris’ latest comments have gone unanswered.
One of its MPs, however, has acknowledged Ferris’ phrasing of his concerns wasn’t “as delicate as it could have been”.
The saga began earlier this month when Ferris shared an image of Labour MPs and volunteers campaigning in the Tāmaki Makaurau byelection, with a caption reading: “This blows my mind!! Indians, Asians, Black and Pākehā campaigning to take a Māori seat from Māori”. After Te Pāti Māori disavowed those comments, Ferris removed the post.
However, as the Herald revealed last week, he went on to post another video doubling down on the comments, saying it was “unacceptable” for people of other ethnicities to campaign to “take a Māori seat from the Māori people” and accused Labour of “erasing Māori”.
That video remains on Ferris’ Instagram account, despite widespread condemnation from across Parliament. Labour and the Greens say they have received private apologies from Ngarewa-Packer.
Jackson posted on Facebook on Sunday to “respond to Tākuta Ferris and the hurtful things he’s saying”.
The senior Labour MP said being Māori is more than just an identity and he had spent his political career “calling on Māori and Pakeha and everyone else who calls NZ home, to work together for the common good”.
I want to respond to Tākuta Ferris and the hurtful things he's saying and why being Māori is more than just an...
Posted by Willie Jackson on Saturday 13 September 2025
“The Treaty is a relationship, and I believe that working together is the best way to build the mana of that relationship in a way that respects the dignity and well being of all those participating.
“What Tākuta is arguing for however in his hurtful comments attacking migrant Kiwis and Pakeha for volunteering in our by-election campaign flies in the face of those values.”
He said he understood what Ferris was trying to say about Māori “just being seen as another ethnic group”, but said individuals from other ethnic groups helping campaign in a Māori seat was “not some ethnic takeover”.
“It was our brothers and sisters from Pacifica, Asia and around the world giving their tautoko no more and no less and [Ferris’] views are just nonsense and in fact racist.
“To infer that Peeni Henare’s identity as a Māori, Georgie Dansey’s identity or even my identity are somehow lesser because we have failed Doc Ferris’ ‘authentic Māori test’ is beyond offensive.
“Our identity as Māori, our identity as Kiwis are not shaped by who we will exclude! It is shaped by everyone we include!”
He went on to say that Ferris had handed “our very worst political extremists on the Right the attack lines they need to paint Te Pati Māori as too extremist to ever work with the Labour Party to kick this Government out”.
“I’m in Labour because I believe in working together, you are not a lesser Māori for wanting that either. Let this moment be what brings you off the fence to join Labour.”
Labour leader Chris Hipkins has said Ferris’ comments are “totally unacceptable”.
“If that is going to be the stance of the Māori Party going forward, that would make them very difficult to work with, but I have taken Debbie Ngarewa-Packer at her word, that that doesn’t reflect the stance the Māori Party wants to take.”
Te Pāti Māori leadership also last week removed MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi from her role as party whip despite her telling the Herald that she enjoyed the role.
“It’s a decision made by our leadership, and yeah ... I quite liked the work, but yeah. Things are changing,” she said.
On Ferris’ remarks about ethnic communities campaigning in the byelection, Kapa-Kingi said it “probably wasn’t as delicate as it could have been”.
She didn’t want to comment on the matter extensively but said there was a wider context and emphasised his point about it being a “Māori seat”.
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.