Waatea News is reporting John Tamihere’s speech to the Maori Party AGM:
The following is a transcript of the full speech delivered in the electorate of Wairiki, home of incumbent MP Rawiri Waititi, by John Tamihere, the President of Te Pati Maori. The occasion โ the Te Pati Maori AGM. See our analysis hereย
On 4 July 2024 we celebrated Te Pati Maoriโs 21st Birthday at Hoani Waititi Marae โ theย place where our movement was first confirmed in 2004.
We stood holding six of the seven Maori seats โย a powerful defence, and a strategic counter-attack against an aggressive rollback ofย Mฤori rights.
Our leadership was affirmed unanimously across all seven electorates.ย Our strategy of activating communities in their space, in their time and on the day of ourย choosing proved remarkably successful.
We stood on that day as the most successful Maori political entity in 185 years. Weย stood in the knowledge that within 24 months we would fulfil all our peopleโs dreamsย and aspirations by sitting inside our constitution on our own mana with our ownย leverage.
By early 2025 we built Toitลซ Te Tiriti -a bridge for Tangata Whenua, Tangata Moana and Tangata Tiriti who stood with us.
Our people responded.
In their hundreds.
In their thousands.
In their hundreds of thousands โย 120,000 marching on Parliament.
And again- the largest number of opposing submissions Parliament has ever receivedย โ against the Treaty Principles Bill.
Then came the worst of news.
Takutai Tarsh Kemp was diagnosed in February 2025 with severe kidney disease, havingย only 15% functionality.
For all whanau who have walked this journey, you know how heavy that prognosis is.
We wrapped her in aroha and urged her to place her hauora first. Regretfully in my mindย she placed her service to our people ahead of her own wellbeing.
Her leadership was next level.
Her service to South Auckland whฤnau was unmatched, especially during COVID.
I asked her after working with her for over fourteen years to stand for us in Tฤmakiย Makaurau โ I was joined in this quest with Rangi McLean and Martin Cooper. Herย leadership over Covid in the Manurewa community was exemplary. She was the rightย counterweight to all other candidates in Tฤmaki Makaurau. She agreed to stand and theย rest is history. I never respond to any commentary around Tarsh or her tangi becauseย that is above both of us.
Her passing was a deep loss to our movement, our people, and all who loved her.
In the midst of grief, we chose a new candidate โ Oriini Kaipara.
And Tฤmaki Makaurau responded.
A decisive victory.
A turning point.
A resounding victory against a huge party that mobilised over fifteen of its seats in
Tฤmaki Makaurau to question our authenticity.
A confirmation of the strength, depth and discipline of our electorate committee,ย campaign team and whฤnau.
Oriini is only nine weeks old in Parliamentary terms and is six month old in Te Pฤti Mฤori
terms but has already exhibited outstanding representation on the floor of the houseย and appears to have the ability to turn this seat into a fortress in 2026.
The present ruling regime have attacked anything and everything that we haveย painstakenly achieved over the last 50 years of Parliamentary democracy. Our smallย team and Party have consistently waged a strong an opposition as possible. Theย discrimination against our tikanga in the house peaked with the savage suspension ofย our two Co-Leaders for 21 days and Hana Maipi-Clarke for seven days.
The constant purposeful pressure placed on our co-leadership is immense and impactsย them and their whanau day in and day out.
Our People are very demanding but on behalf of the Party, I ask over this next period thatย they express arohatanga for the sacrifices made by these Co-Leaders and Hana Maipi-ย Clarke.
At a time when we needed unity to carry us through heartbreak โฆ leadership ambitionsย surfaced.
Ambition is natural in any movement โย but ambition must sit inside tikanga.
Ambition inside tikanga strengthens us.
Ambition outside tikanga fractures us.
We can be defined by this pressure or strengthened by the purpose.
Leadership is not about seeking popularity and appeasement at the price of principleย and position. Leadership is about direction and decisiveness.
Suspensions only added pressure. We can fixate on what divides us, or strengthenย ourselves for what awaits us.
These are the evolutionary stages of a committed, organised, structured but above all aย disciplined, political movement.
Leadership challenges must occur within tikanga.ย Our difficulties reflect a movement maturing in discipline and organisation.
No MP is above the Party.
No MP is below the Party.
Every MP is a function of the movement.
Without discipline โ we descend into anarchy.
With discipline โ we ascend into power.
Our present leadership challenge is not about policy, programme or principle.
It is about personalities.
And personality cannot outweigh kaupapa.
We oversaw one of the greatest registrations of Maori voters in our history.ย Even 18 months out from an election โ we already had the numbers for an eighth seat.ย We have taken the Electoral Commission to court.ย We await the decision.ย If statutory interpretation fails, we will pursue the Human Rights Act and the Bill ofย Rights.
Our electorates hold thousands more voters than general seats.
Our people are awakening to the power of the brown vote โย and it is through this Party that this awakening has occurred. It is only this Party thatย continues to assert our Mana Maori Motuhake, every day all day.
We cannot live in a democracy where our votes are not equal to non-Maori.
Any movement that stands for mana motuhake faces scrutiny others will never face.
And yet โ our kaupapa has held firm. Whanau associated with Te Pati Maori wereย targeted and the State weaponised everything it had in endeavouring to destroy us butย most importantly to destroy our belief in our movement. Not one enquiry, investigation,ย audit or review was upheld out of a constant barrage of these.
We cannot live in a democracy where we are penalised for our legitimate indigenousย political rights.
We now move as one people toward making this a one-term Government.
Te Pati Maori is the only unapologetic Maori force in Parliament.
For the first time in 186 years โย we stand a real chance of sitting at the governing table, on our own terms
According to Te Tiriti o Waitangiย with mana rangatiratangaย with mana Motuhakeย delivered by our own people.
E te whฤnau, koinei taku kupu whakamutunga.
We have endured the best of years and the worst of years โย and yet our kaupapa has never been stronger. We have been tested by grief,ย tested by ambition,ย tested by Crown scrutiny,ย tested by the political game โย and every test has proven this:
Te Pฤti Mฤori does not fold.
Te Pati Mฤori leads.
And we lead because we are bound by whakapapa โย the dreams of our tลซpuna behind us,ย and the futures of our mokopuna before us.
They are the reason we rise.ย They are the reason we fight.ย They are the reason we will not be moved.ย As the country stares down a one-term Government,
those who stand with us in opposition โย those who fight for Te Tiriti,ย for climate justice,ย for dignity,ย for whanau โย they know this truth:
There is no path to Government without Te Pati Maori.
There is no stable Government without Te Pati Maori.
There is no Tiriti-centred Government without Te Pฤti Mฤori.
To our people โย Our brown vote is rising.ย Our movement is rising.ย Our leverage is rising.ย But more than that โย our mokopuna are watching.
Our tupuna are with us.
And we have an obligation to honour both.
ย 2026 is not just another election.
It is the moment Aotearoa chooses who it wants to beย for the next generationย and the generation after that.
And we will be there โย steadfast, disciplined, unapologetic โย carrying the mandate of our people โ for true Te Tiriti partnership, to the governing tableย for the first time in 186 years.
ย Ahakoa nga hau kino โ
ka u tonu tatou.
Ka tu te iwi.
Ka tu te mana.
Ka tu nga mokopuna.
Ka tu ngร tupuna.
Ka tu Te Pati Maori.
…
Somewhere in Upper Hutt, Chris Hipkins is holding his head in his hands while lying in the foetal curl.
He did the same when they went with Winnie.
John Tamihere’s AGM speech was inspiring and motivating, and TPM would disappear but for him. I don’t care if you don’t like him, you don’t have to, just respect he knows what he is talking about and has the best interests of TPM. It was a ‘straight from the heart’ speech so if you see it differently that’s fine, you are entitled to your viewpoint. Now TPM close the door and move on โ you owe that to your supporters. NO MORE IN-FIGHTING. Turn the other cheek. Refuse to engage with the ‘sh&t stirrers’; they will never go away so ignore them!
Ok! With you on that !!!100%
If this is his best interest I wouldnโt like to see his worse interest.He is holding his MPs to ransom. He is self sabotaging the Maori party just because he can. He want to teach labour a lesson nothing more nothing less and he will send his supporters straight into the arms of the racist coalition all on a doom loop and in another 3 years there will only be threads of the culture left and no Maori seats
That is a resounding speech – presenting the achievements and stating what must not be forgotten; that the goal must be kept in sight and kept within reach not becoming clouded with a personal vision that someone with ambitions and high self-satisfaction can press forward calling on a Maori value to back it, but really misusing it. Values are needed to be beneficial guidelines, not weapons.
Putting party first Tamihere should step down and make way for a new generation of leadership. He has to take some responsibility for what has happened to TPM on his watch. At a time when the government is explicitly and implicitly unwinding every progressive policy it can find and will continue doing so right up to the election, TPM needs to be united and fighting the coalition government with all the power and mana it has. Rightly or wrongly Tamihere is now an obstacle to that and he needs to step aside and allow the party to heal and re-unite. TPM have much more important battles to fight and it is on Tamihere as president that it has turned to fighting itself and is weakening Maori political voices and actions.
Why does he (JT) need to stand down I would argue we need him there more than ever with the nasty lot we have in power at the moment. Frankly I know a lot of Pakeha may not like JT because he is outspoken and he calls a spade a spade (and a bastard), but he is the best leader for TPM at the moment, and he needs to be there at the helm. I’m a bit unsure of Kapa Kingi we will see what plays out, but she did employ her son who shoots out of his mouth. And he has been putting the boot into TPM for some time now and its detrimental to the party if they want to get back in power and helps us get rid of the worst PM and government our country has have ever had.