Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi says MP Tākuta Ferris’ controversial race comments have sparked “significant and pleasing” discussions with different ethnic groups.
While Waititi said he and fellow co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer didn’t support “the way in which Tākuta made his comments”, it was common for Māori to have differing views on a matter, he said.
Party president John Tamihere backs the substance of Ferris’ remarks.
Waititi made his comments in Parliament on Tuesday, the first time he’s fronted publicly since his MP took aim at “Indians, Asians Black [sic] and Pākehā campaigning to take a Māori seat from Māori” and said it was “unacceptable” for people of other ethnicities to campaign to “take a Māori seat from the Māori people”.
Waititi spoke to journalists in te reo Māori and refused to translate his comments into English as it was Te Wiki o Te Reo (Māori Language Week), he said. (Waititi would go on to speak English in the House).
Waititi’s remarks have been translated by broadcaster and te reo Māori expert Wena Harawira.
“Kāore mātou i te tautoko i ngā whakatakoto kōrero a Doc engari ko tā mātou e mea ana kua tīmatahia ngā wānanga ki te taha o ngā iwi taketake o te wā. Nō reira he pai tērā nō te mea kua puta tētahi wānanga nui me tētahi wānanga ātaahua i waenganui i a mātou me ngā iwi taketake o te whenua nei.”
(“We don’t support the way in which Tākuta made his comments. What we are now considering at this time is the discussion that’s begun with ethnic groups. So that’s a good thing because significant and pleasing discussions have come about between ourselves and those groups within New Zealand.”)
Asked about disagreement within the party over Ferris’ remarks, Waititi responded that this was common among Māori.
“Kei te mōhio koe, tō tātou iwi Māori he pērā ngā whakaaro katoa. Ka tae koe ki runga i ngā marae, ā te Koroneihana hoki, ētahi ka puta ā rātou kōrero nā rātou tonu ēra whakaaro. Engari ko te whakaaro o te Pāti Māori, o māua ko Deb, kāore mātou mō te tautoko i te āhua whakatakoto i ēra kōrero, engari kua tīmatahia he wānanga ātaahua i waenganui i a mātou me ngā iwi taketake o te wā.”
(“You’re aware of how common this is among Māori. If you go to a marae, even the Koroneihana, some will say something that is entirely of their own opinion. But the view of the Māori Party, of Deb and I, is that we don’t support the way in which the comments were made. But it has sparked a pleasing discussion between ourselves and ethnic groups at this time.”)
He said members of other ethnic groups wanted to know what they could do to support the sovereignty of Māori.
Waititi also addressed the sudden removal of MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi as the party’s whip. As the Herald reported last week, she said that was a decision made by the party leadership, despite her enjoying the role.
Waititi said that following the death of the party’s MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp, Te Pāti Māori was readjusting its caucus to be ready for 2026.
“Kei roto i tēnei Whare ka pēra anō ngā pāti katoa. Ka huri te waka ki tētahi aronga, ko te aronga nui ki a mātou ko te 2026 hei kāwanatanga. Ko tō mātou kei te whakarite mai ō mātou MPs kia ngawari ake tō mātou kuhu ki ēra tūāhuatanga.”
(“In the House, parties do this all the time. The path of the canoe is set, our main focus is governing in 2026. We are preparing our MPs so the process is seamless.”)
Waititi received some criticism yesterday for only speaking in te reo. Labour MP Shanan Halbert said the party was “starting to create an exclusive bunch of Māoris” and all Māori – regardless of their fluency – should be included.
Minister for Ethnic Communities Mark Mitchell on Wednesday morning said he condemned Ferris.
“I don’t think they’re all joined-up on that messaging,” Mitchell said.
“We live in one of the strongest open democracies in the world and anyone, regardless of when you arrived in New Zealand, what your faith is, what your ethnicity is, you have got the right to be able to apply to join a political party and get out there and campaign.”
Labour’s Ginny Andersen, appearing alongside Mitchell on Newstalk ZB, said her party had made clear it couldn’t work with “those points of view”. Her leader Chris Hipkins has said if Ferris’ views are shared more broadly in the party, it would be hard to work with Te Pāti Māori.
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.