SETTLING THE DUST
Te Paati Māori Is Back
Watchdog no. 172 (August 2026)
As the dust settles, Te Paati Māori has now returned to a place of equilibrium and is now in full political mobilisation after a turbulent period of internal rifts that played out in public for months. To a certain extent the kumara vine has been deeply divided, revealing a complex mix of fierce loyalty, fatigue and growing frustration over the seemingly never-ending internal drama. Public opinion, particularly in urban areas, is negative, but in high Māori population areas, there is still strong support. Faithful followers across the motu have acted as bridge-builders and navigators, helping restore faith and trust and retaining loyal flaxroots support for Te Paati Māori.
Political controversies are not new. They happen all the time. But beyond the immediate interpersonal grievances, allegations of a “dictatorship” culture, there were several deeper structural and strategic elements at play. For example, executive power is concentrated outside of the Parliamentary caucus with a top-down mentality. The recent fractures have also exposed an ongoing tug-of-war between grassroots electorate members and central Party executives. The High Court found the Party’s executive acted unlawfully, breaching its own constitution, purging rivals and splintering the Māori vote, directly threatening the Party’s previous hold over two Māori electorate seats.
With barely time to grieve the sudden loss of MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp of Tamaki Makaurau, the Party went into a reactive “survival mode” followed by a by-election. The Party was fortunate to have an experienced replacement in Oriini Kaipara who defeated experienced Labour MP Peeni Henare.
There were any number of ways the Party could have minimised their differences. They had alternative mechanisms within their formal structures. Māori cultural practice, too, could have played a part in resolving their conflicts, given half a chance. Te Ururoa Flavell, former Co-Leader, noted that, bypassing a fair and open process, prevented a more balanced investigation being exercised. Electorate chairs criticised the executive, stating that rushing to expel members without transparent mediation directly undermined Māori tikanga, the customary system of values of pono, truth, and tika, fairness.
Even Iwi Chairs Forum attempts to act as neutral mediators were spurned. Eru Kapa-Kingi, son of Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, who demonstrated great leadership during the hikoi to Parliament in 2024, where tens of thousands of people marched to Parliament against the Treaty Principles Bill, publicly accused Party leadership of using “colonial strategies of silencing and disowning” that failed to uphold their own internal tikanga, diminishing their moral authority.
There are communities who feel that the Party spends too much time on “theatrics”, point-scoring, rather than focussing on external policies, delivering tangible local solutions for whanau struggling with high costs of living.
In June 2026 Te Tai Tokerau MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, cut ties permanently with Te Paati Māori and launched her own regional Te Tai Tokerau Party. Mariameno served as a Te Pati Māori MP for approximately two years and seven months, split across two intervals. Mariameno made a significant regional impact by winning back the Te Tai Tokerau electorate for Te Paati Māori in the 2023 election by beating Labour incumbent Kelvin Davis. This was part of a historic clean sweep of six electorate seats for Te Paati Māori.
A quick look at Parliament records reveal that Mariameno Kapa-Kingi was heavily involved in committee work, sitting as a member on multiple major committees including Transport and Infrastructure, Privileges, Standing Orders and Officers of Parliament.
Her primary legislative contribution was introducing her own Member’s Bill in February 2025, aimed at establishing an independent Mokopuna Māori Authority. The Bill sought to return tamariki and mokopuna from State care to their respective iwi. As an opposition MP, she actively addressed and vehemently opposed Government-led legislation, including high profile debates over the Medicines Amendment Bill, changes to Māori wards in local councils, and modifications to gun safety regulations. Mariameno maintained a high level of activity during her time as a Te Paati Māori Member of Parliament.
Te Paati Māori are confident they will return to Parliament, even with low national polling, around 1%-3%, according to major surveys. All seven Māori electorates have a full complement of seasoned candidates. Competition for the Māori seats will be fierce. The big question is: Will Te Paati Māori win six of the seven Māori seats again?
Ngātiwai leader, Aperahama Edwards, will challenge Mariameno Kapa Kingi directly. Aperahama, who has been endorsed by seasoned politician Hone Harawira, offers a steady disciplined voice. He will stand firmly against attacks on the Treaty, centring on Kotahitanga, Mana Motuhake, and Tino Rangatiratanga. He will be up against Labour’s Willow-Jean Prime and the Greens’ Huhana Lyndon.
Takuta Ferris has now been replaced by Lisa Marie Murch, who is the new candidate for Te Paati Māori in Te Tai Tonga electorate. Lisa Marie is focussing her early campaign on reversing current Government legislation affecting Te Tiriti of Waitangi in schools.
I was sad to see Takuta Ferris leave the Party as I saw him as a leader “in waiting”. According to the Party President, John Tamihere, both Takuta Ferris and Maria-Meno Kapa-Kingi had orchestrated an attempted leadership takeover against the present leadership team. This isn’t strictly true though they voiced concerns over the Co-Leaders’ performance and frequent absences from Parliament.
Takuta Ferris published a highly controversial social media post, criticising the ethnicity of non-Māori campaign volunteers in the Labour Party which he refused to delete. He was expelled in November 2025 due to “irreconcilable differences” and serious breaches of the Party’s constitution and kawa. Takuta publicly slammed the executive’s decision in suspending Mariameno Kapa-Haka. His actions were supported by his home electorate who issued a vote of no confidence in Party President John Tamihere
Takuta Ferris accomplished a historic victory for Te Paati Māori in 2023, defeating long-time Labour incumbent Rino Tirikatene, a seat that Labour had held securely since 2011. During the 2023 campaign, Takuta became a prominent voice for the Party during the Press Powerbrokers’ debate which earned widespread attention for holding his own against seasoned politicians like Winston Peters and David Seymour. He was appointed as the Party’s spokesperson for crucial portfolios including Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Justice, Police and Corrections, Education, Fisheries, Forestry and Water.
In July 2024, he introduced a Member’s Bill—the Treaty of Waitangi (Empowerment of Waitangi Tribunal Amendment Bill) which aimed to make Waitangi Tribunal recommendations legally binding on the Crown. FolIowing a clash with Party leadership over controversial social media posts and internal power struggles, Takuta was expelled in November 2025. Free from Party discipline, Takuta has levelled serious allegations against Te Paati Māori’s executive leadership, accusing Party leadership of bullying tactics and “despicable” treatment of the late Takutai Tarsh Kemp, prior to her passing.
Takuta is now an Independent MP, still representing the people of Te Tai Tonga. Under normal circumstances, Independent MPs don’t normally last long, unless they are charismatic like Tariana Turia and can create something new. Does Takuta have the X factor? I think he does.
Hayley Maxwell will stand in the Ikaroa Rawhiti seat. A kapa haka stalwart and community leader, Haley describes herself as a “frontliner” who spearheaded the regional Hikoi mo Te Tiriti from Te Tairawhiti through Kahungunu. She identifies as a wahine Māori, mama and nanny on a mission to represent everyday people in Parliament. Her focus will be skyrocketing food costs, affordable housing, including overcrowding and families living out of vehicles. Haley Maxwell will challenge the incumbent Labour MP, Cushla Tangaere-Manuel.
Incumbent MP Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke has publicly reaffirmed her commitment to Te Paati Māori, shutting down intense political speculation that she might walk out. I recently watched Hana being interviewed by Scottie Morrison on Māori TV, who was very negative toward Te Paati Māori. Hana, on the other hand, answered calmly and confidently, affirming her deep value that Māori must believe in themselves and work together with others for the sake of the community. I was impressed with this magnificent young woman, and she is a leader for the future, both in and beyond Parliament.
Now there’s talk on social media about Co-Leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, criticising Dame Jacinda Ardern. This is fake news. Debbie has been one of Dame Jacinda’s most prominent defenders, describing her as an “outstanding leader”, normalising empathy as a key ingredient in political leadership.
The Māori seats have been a subject of ongoing debate for years. They have been used both as a tool for political inclusion and a mechanism of colonial control. In 1867, four seats were created and capped to ensure Māori voters could not form a majority and outvote European settlers in general electorates. By placing all Māori into four seats, the Government underrepresented the actual Māori population size for over a century. For decades, Māori were barred from switching to the general roll which kept Māori politically segregated.
The existential threat to Māori seats is moderately high, driven primarily by Right of Centre political parties, aiming to dismantle them or put them to a public vote. New Zealand First posed the most immediate legislative threat by introducing a Member’s Bill, forcing a binding public referendum on the future of the seats. They want to hold this referendum alongside the November 2026 general election.
Act New Zealand views the seats as a fundamental violation of its core political principles and would abolish Māori seats entirely without a referendum. They argue that separate electorates based on ethnicity is “separatist” and runs counter to a liberal democracy where all citizens are equal under the law. According to the late Moana Jackson,1 one law for all does not mean one justice for all; it merely means one monocultural system for all. National sits on the fence, watching from the side line. They didn’t block their coalition partners from introducing independent member’s bills or campaigning against Māori seats. They have candidates in all Māori electorates.
Conversely, the Green Party and Te Paati Māori want to entrench the Māori seats, putting them on the same constitutional footing as general electorates. This would require a 75% supermajority in Parliament, highly unlikely in the present political arrangement. It will not be easy to make the present coalition Government a “one-term” only Government, which is the mantra of Co-Leader Rawiri Waititi.
The 2026 election will see multiple Māori candidates contesting general electorate seats for several major parties. In a historic shift, Te Paāti Māori announced plans to officially field candidates in general electorate seats alongside their traditional focus on the seven Māori electorates. This expands their “two-tick” campaign strategy into general rolls across the country.
Among the 13 Māori candidates confirmed on the Greens’ final 2026 Party list, Tamatha Paul will contest the general electorate of Wellington Central rather than the Māori seat. National and Labour are also putting up MPs in general electorates rather than Māori electorates.
New Zealand First Māori candidates will stand exclusively in a general electorate or as a list-only candidate. At the 2023 election, New Zealand First had four Māori sitting MPs, all of whom entered via the general electorate or the Party list. Winston Peters, Shane Jones and Casey Costello all have tribal links in the Far North, while Jenny Marcroft descends from Ngati Kahungunu. Former All Blacks’ captain, Taine Randell, will stand in the general electorate of Tukituki.
There are three Māori MPs representing Act New Zealand in the 2026 election, David Seymour, Nicole McKee, and Karen Chhour, all of Ngapuhi descent. Act NZ does not believe in Māori electorates, arguing they create a system of race-based division, and will abolish the Māori seats. David Symour holds the general electorate seat of Epsom. Both Nicole McKee in Rongotai and Karen Chhour in Upper Harbour entered Parliament via their high rankings on the Act Party List.
There are Māori candidates standing for parties that as yet do not have MPs in Parliament. Hannah Tamaki and Karl Mokaraka are both standing as candidates for Vision New Zealand in the Tamaki Makaurau electorate. Paris Winiata and Donna Pokere-Phillips who have both contested electorates before will also represent the Party’s Māori lineup.
The Opportunity Party has a lineup of 43 candidates for the upcoming election, with explicit Māori representation to be announced.2
Mark Herbert will stand for the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party (ALCP) as the Co-Leader and candidate for the Te Tai Tokerau electorate along with Anituhia McDonald who is on the Party list.
There are rumours floating around that, because Māori may vote on either the Māori roll or the General roll, Māori can vote twice. Māori can only vote once. To preserve election integrity, a strict freeze has been put in place to block any roll changes during the three months leading up to a general or local election. Any attempt to register twice or cast multiple votes under different names is a serious criminal offence under the Electoral Act 1993. The NZ electoral system is strictly structured under a “one person one vote” framework.
There is fear that the Māori seats will suffer the same fate as Māori wards. Following a mandatory law change that forced councils to put the fate of Māori wards to public votes, more than half of the country’s local Māori council seats were slashed or disestablished by public vote. Māori advocates and Leftwing parties warn that a nationwide Parliamentary referendum could mirror the same outcome, ending guaranteed Māori representation.
Māori people have always been interested in politics and judging from the record number of Māori standing in and across all political parties, demonstrates that Māori are not a political monolith but possess a diverse, multi-faceted range of aspirations. Rather than viewing self-determination through a single ideological lens, Māori are utilising the full spectrum of New Zealand’s political framework to advance their interests.
This election has drawn record numbers of Māori from different perspectives, which reflects a broader societal shift. Having representatives across Government and Opposition benches, Māori want to ensure that their perspectives are voiced regardless of which political coalition holds power. While the goal of self-determination is widely shared, the method to achieve it varies. Some look to transform the State system from within, while others advocate for autonomous Māori-led governance structures outside the traditional Parliamentary systems.
The story of Te Paati Māori is one of dramatic shifts, from its foundational rise over the Foreshore and Seabed Act to its electoral victory over six Māori seats, breaking Labour’s longstanding dominance over the Māori electorates. We remember Co-Leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer who successfully reintroduced her Member’s Bill to place a permanent ban on seabed mining in New Zealand. The Party too has effectively shifted its political leverage, establishing itself as a potential kingmaker for a future Labour-Greens coalition.
If Te Paati Māori wants to make the present coalition Government a “one term” only Government, they will need the wisdom of Solomon. The Coalition Government, for example, will reform Kiwisaver with a $1 billion package, making the retirement scheme fully mandatory for all working New Zealanders by July 2028; they are addressing the immediate fuel price and cost of living crises, with a heavily targeted financial relief and implementing a general increase of $10 to $30 a week for accommodation supplements. They are talking big.
Being in Opposition is not the best place to make political change. To become a more viable and seamless governing partner with other Centre-Left parties, Te Paati Māori might well consider the following points:
establishing clear policy bottom lines, distinguishing between absolute core principles and areas open for political compromise;
standardise management protocols by creating formal dispute pathways, agree on structured, internal mechanisms to resolve policy disagreements quietly behind closed doors;
Focus rhetoric on constructive solutions, shifting to action-oriented language; with detailed actionable legislative proposals;
Demonstrate stable institutional governance by strengthening Party administration, ensuring candidate vetting, media protocols and Party governance that are robust and open.
I have voted Te Paati Māori from its beginnings, and I will continue to do so. On Saturday 7th November 2026, I will give my two ticks to Te Paati Māori.
Jane Kelsey’s obituary of Moana Jackson is in Watchdog 160, August 2022, https://www.converge.org.nz/watchdog/60/14.html - Ed. ↩︎
A check of those 43 candidates on the TOP Website reveals at least one Māori. There may be more. - Ed.)↩︎
Watchdog 172 -- August 2026
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