Tāmaki Makarau by-election Week 1: Māori Party already marching into right wing trap

This…

Byelection: Te Pāti Māori candidate contender cops flak for supporting Labour MP’s selection

The unsuccessful contender for Te Pāti Māori’s Tāmaki Makaurau byelection candidacy has copped flak for celebrating Peeni Henare’s selection as Labour’s candidate.

Te Kou o Rehua Panapa, a former youth adviser for Manurewa Marae, is calling on political parties to centre their campaigns on what’s best for the people.

He told the Herald some in Te Pāti Māori were disappointed he didn’t solely endorse the party’s candidate, Oriini Kaipara.

“I’m rooting for both of them from the back,” Panapa says of Kaipara and Henare.

“Both of them would be amazing for Tāmaki to be honest, but yeah, I’ve not aligned myself to anybody.

…and this…

Labour dismisses claims it is being ‘greedy’ by contesting by-election

Labour is brushing off accusations it is being greedy by standing in the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election, saying if it were to win it would not diminish the presence of Māori in Parliament.

Peeni Henare, who held the seat between 2014 and 2023, has been confirmed as Labour’s candidate in the 6 September by-election, which is being held due to the death of Takutai Tarsh Kemp.

Te Pāti Māori has selected Oriini Kaipara to contest the seat, which Kemp won off Henare in 2023.

Prominent figures in the party have since criticised Labour’s decision to run.

The Tāmaki Makarau by-election is one week old and it’s already very worrying.

The sectarian language prominent Māori Party supporters are promoting online risks walking into the rights hands by providing them with the political ammunition to attack the Left in the next election.

Every intemperate attack on Labour by prominent Māori Party supporters feeds into the right wing narrative that the Māori Party are incapable of working together with Labour.

Attacking Te Kou o Rehua Panapa and claiming Labour are greedy is not mana enhancing.

This by-election should be a masterclass in true Māori values, real kaupapa, instead it’s starting to sound sectarian.

Every time the Māori Party supporters behave like this they provide Mike Hosking, Heather De Plissie-Allan, Ryan Bridge, Sean Plunkett, the NZ Herald, The Platform, Damien  Grant, the Taxpayers Unions, The Free Speech Union, the NZ Initiative and the Atlas Network the political ammunition to win the 2026 election.

Winning the Tāmaki Makarau by-election using sectarian language that is then used against us to lose the 2026 election is not a win for the Left or Māoridom.

Let’s hope for better weeks.

 

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