Election 2023: Labour, Te Pāti Māori in tight race for Te Tai Hauāuru

By RNZ

Labour’s Soraya Peke-Mason holds a slim lead in the electorate contest over the Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer in a new poll released last night.

Peke-Mason is on 34 per cent while Ngarewa-Packer is on 29 per cent.

And 12 per cent favoured National’s Harete Hipango, who is the first National candidate to stand in a Māori seat in more than 20 years.

The poll for Whakaata Māori, Māori TV, found 16 per cent of voters in Te Tai Hauāuru were still undecided.

Paris Winiata of Vision NZ did not make any showing in the poll.

The seat, which is on the western region of the North Island, is held by Labour’s Adrian Rurawhe, but he is a list-only candidate at this election.

For the party vote, Labour attracted 34 per cent support, followed by Te Pāti Māori on 22 per cent, National on 13 per cent, NZ First 7 per cent and the Greens on 6.

Maori party’s Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. Photo / Marty Melville

Chris Hipkins was the preferred prime minister with 32 per cent, Winston Peters had 12 per cent support and Ngarewa-Packer was on 7 per cent - ahead of Christopher Luxon on 6.

The cost of living was identified as the single biggest issue for voters in the electorate (27 per cent), well ahead of the economy (9 per cent), housing (8 per cent) taxes and health - both on 7 per cent.

Among voters under the age of 40, however, honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi was named as the key issue by 11 per cent, just behind the cost of living and taxes.

The Curia poll of 500 registered voters was carried out last week by landline, mobile and online with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 per cent.

Whakaata Māori released the poll at the launch of its first live debate of the seven Māori seats from its newly opened studio, Hawaikirangi, in East Tāmaki.