Tania Waikato Announces Green Party Candidacy For The 2026 General Election – Green

Prominent lawyer, Tiriti advocate, and community leader Tania Waikato today announced that she will stand as a candidate in the 2026 general election for the Green Party of Aotearoa, citing a growing need for courageous leadership, economic justice, and a renewed national commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

The announcement follows a year of ground-breaking national advocacy by Ms Waikato across social media, legal forums, and public campaigns throughout 2025. Waikato – a seasoned litigation specialist with over 20 years’ experience – has featured heavily in national media for her work challenging the Treaty Principles Bill. She also spearheaded a petition against the school lunches debacle and was one of the key social media strategists behind the campaign against the Regulatory Standards Bill that saw 98.7% of almost 160,000 submissions in clear opposition to the controversial bill.

“It’s been a heck of a year. From Ministers accusing us of using submission “bots”, to inciting racist threats of violence against myself and my expert witnesses, we’ve seen over and over this government prioritising hate and division.

In contrast we’ve encouraged people to unite together with hundreds of thousands mobilising with us to write submissions against the TPB and the Regulatory Standards Bill, and now more than 72% of schools in Aotearoa have joined together in kotahitanga for Te Tiriti.

I had zero political aspirations at the start of this year, but the need is simply too great to continue to just advocate from the sidelines. Our people keep asking me to stand. I have to answer them. I’m standing to be a voice for them.”

During 2025, Ms Waikato emerged as a prominent public advocate through multiple media appearances, select committee submissions, and public campaigns addressing attacks on Te Tiriti, social inequity and government decision-making diminishing Māori rights. Her work has consistently focused on protecting vulnerable communities and holding power to account.

Waikato’s innovative harnessing of social media advocacy and legal action included representing over 17,000 claimants on behalf of Toitū Te Tiriti in the successful Waitangi Tribunal challenge against the Regulatory Standards Bill which found that the Act breached the Crown’s obligations of partnership and active protection. Her petition against the school lunches contract allocation to Compass Group garnered 17,418 signatures and arguably resulted in the Government’s quiet decision not to renew the contract with Compass in 2026.

“Throughout 2025 I have worked alongside our communities who are being pushed to the edge by the cost-of-living crisis, serious attacks on our democracy, and the never-ending barrage of legislation undermining Māori and the Treaty partnership. Standing in the 2026 election is a natural continuation of that mahi—taking our fight for fairness and justice directly into Parliament”, Ms Waikato said.

More recently, Waikato has been at the forefront of the high-profile pushback by over 70% of schools across Aotearoa to the Government’s decision to remove the obligation on school boards to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. A list of schools compiled by Waikato called “Te Rārangi Rangatira”, started after schools began sending her copies of complaint letters to the education Minister. The schools’ list has gone viral across her social media platforms, gaining more than 16 million views in less than a month.

“I started posting the list of schools as a way of acknowledging their stand for continuing to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which as a mother, was something very important to me. More and more schools kept sending me their letters so I kept updating the list and we’re now at more than 1,800 schools out of a total of just over 2,500. The Minister said making the list was “disgusting behaviour” and “not helpful” – but I think it shows a beautiful spirit of kotahitanga and hope at a time when our country is in desperate need of both.”

Ms Waikato’s 2026 campaign will centre on three key priorities, aligned with core Green Party policy frameworks:

REDUCING POVERTY AND TACKLING THE COST-OF-LIVING CRISIS

Ms Waikato is campaigning for bold action to address spiraling housing, food, and energy costs that are forcing thousands of families into hardship.

Key priorities include:

• Major public housing expansion and tackling energy and food costs through regulatory intervention to stop corporate greed resulting in out-of-control costs for Kiwi households.
• Free or low-cost access to essential services including healthcare, dental, prescriptions, and public transport.
• A living wage that reflects the true cost of living in Aotearoa.
• Strengthening income support to ensure that no one lives below the poverty line.
• A wealth tax and key tax reforms as outlined in the Green budget to provide the necessary revenue to properly fund well-functioning health, education and public services.

“The cost-of-living crisis in Aotearoa is not accidental—it is the result of political choices. We can, and we must, choose differently,” Ms Waikato said.

BOOSTING THE ECONOMY AND CREATING JOBS THROUGH TURBO-CHARGING

THE MĀORI ECONOMY

Ms Waikato is calling for transformative regulatory support and investment in the Māori economy as a driver of sustainable national growth.

Her economic platform includes:

• Forming bold, job-creating partnerships with Iwi and Māori-led enterprises to kick start large renewable energy projects, revive the housing and construction industry, and open up innovative land development opportunities.
• Support for rangatahi employment, trades training, and green jobs.
• Strengthening regional economies through Iwi and Māori entity partnerships, focusing on sustainable development of local businesses and local resources.

“I’ve been privileged to work with multiple large, successful Māori entities throughout my career. The Māori economic base is now worth over $126 billion and growing rapidly. Supporting a strong Māori economy is not just good for Māori, it’s good for the whole country”, she said.

HONOURING TE TIRITI O WAITANGI

At the heart of Ms Waikato’s campaign is a firm commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the constitutional foundation of Aotearoa.

Her Tiriti commitments include:

• Seeking the repeal of legislation including the Regulatory Standards Bill, the MACA amendments and the Education and Training Act changes that undermine Te Tiriti and Māori interests.
• Proper resourcing of kaupapa Māori services across health, housing, education, and justice, including the re-establishment of Te Aka Whaiora – the Māori Health Authority.
• Implementing constitutional reform to protect Te Tiriti o Waitangi from ongoing attacks.

“Te Tiriti o Waitangi is not just symbolic—it is a living promise that unites tangata whenua and tangata Tiriti. As our founding constitutional document, Te Tiriti provides us with the blueprint to become the world’s leading example of strong, harmonious race relations in a country that champions mutual respect, compassion and justice. Te Tiriti can, and will, protect us all in the years to come”, Ms Waikato said.

Ms Waikato will formally begin her campaign in January 2026 and plans to attend Waitangi Day in February to make further announcements regarding her 2026 campaign. She will also be appearing at other speaking events throughout the country as an academic – Ms Waikato holds a Master of Laws with First Class Honours from the University of Auckland – and as a motivational speaker for rangatahi and community groups.

“My campaign will be about people who feel locked out of power reclaiming their voice. The 2026 election is our chance to build a more harmonious and just society where people can afford to feed their whānau, find good jobs in an economy that works for everyone and live in a country that finally honours its founding promise. It’s time for all of us to be the change we want to see in Aotearoa. We are all in the same waka, and we need to start paddling in the same direction, together. Kotahitanga isn’t just a word, it’s a call to action.”

Waikato confirmed that she will be seeking a place on the Green party list and also standing in an electorate which will be formally announced in February 2026 once party selection processes have been completed.