1-on-1 in 10 clip: Rawiri Waititi on Māori Seats, Welfare & Cost Crisis
In this week’s 1-on-1 in 10, Rawiri Waititi lays out why Māori electorates matter more than ever — and how economic inequality, welfare cuts and global instability are shaping Election 2026.
Rawiri Waititi on the fight for Māori electorates
As Winston Peters calls for a referendum to abolish Māori seats, Waititi responds to what he describes as “dog-whistle politics” and warns that the Māori electorates will play a decisive role in determining the next government.
Key issues: welfare, inequality and the cost-of-living crisis
In this interview Rawiri Waititi discusses:
- The push to abolish Māori electorates and why the data doesn’t support it
- Rising Māori enrolment on the Māori roll
- Welfare sanctions and their impact on poverty
- Unemployment and the exodus of Kiwis to Australia
- The widening gap between rich and poor
- The economic fallout of the Iran war and rising fuel prices
- Why low-income communities are hit hardest by inflation
- The need for crisis-level economic responses
- Te Pāti Māori’s role in Election 2026
Election 2026: Māori electorates could decide the outcome
With unemployment rising, poverty deepening, and global conflict driving inflation, Waititi argues that political choices are determining who benefits — and who gets left behind.
As Election 2026 approaches, the Māori electorates may hold the balance of power.
