Community advocate Dave Letele and former Labour MP Louisa Wall linked to Te Pāti Māori

Dave Letele (aka the Brown Buttabean). Photo / NZME

Community advocate Dave Letele and former Labour MP Louisa Wall are talking to Te Pāti Māori about standing for the party at this year’s general election.

Buttabean Motivation (BBM) founder Letele has not made a final decision, but confirmed has had discussions with Te Pāti president John Tamihere about standing in the Mangere electorate in October.

Letele has strong links to Mangere that have got even stronger thanks to the tireless work he has done following the Auckland floods and Cyclone Gabrielle.

“I’m keen to give it a crack. I’m definitely seriously thinking about it but it’s a lot to take on at the moment,” Letele told the Herald.

“I really want to motivate our people to vote and the amount of love we have in South Auckland for the mahi we have done, and continue to do, in the area is huge.

“So yes, I’m considering this but nothing is confirmed at this stage.”

Letele said he had never seriously thought about being a politician, but always wanted to make a difference.

“People have said I would be wasted as a politician and shut down but I think as a person I’m different,” he said.

“So many people laughed at me when I started BBM. When I said we were Buttaban Motivation, they laughed but I look a what we have done and achieved. Not everyone could do that.

“I have had to watch things get worse for us [Māori and Pasifika] and think what can I do to make a difference?

“I’ll know that soon enough.”

Meanwhile, former MP Wall won the Manurewa seat for Labour in 2011 and retained it with a comfortable margin in 2014 and 2017.

However, an internal party stoush led to her withdrawing her nomination in 2020. She ended up on the Labour list for that election before resigning from Parliament last year.

Local Democracy Reporting understands Wall has also been in talks with Te Pāti Māori about running in the Manurewa electorate.

Wall was approached for comment but refused to confirm or deny.

She was appointed ambassador for Gender Equality (Pacific)/Tuia Tāngata in April last year.

If she decides to stand, she will have to take a leave of absence from that role from the day she is nominated.

The Manurewa seat is held by Labour MP Arena Williams.

Former Labour MP Louisa Wall. Photo / NZME

Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere said it was too soon to confirm who was standing for the party in both Manurewa and Māngere, “but we would be delighted to have Louisa Wall or Dave Letele as part of the Te Pāti Māori team”.

Tamihere said both Letele and Tamihere had established reputations and strong links to their communities.

He said running candidates in general seats with large Māori populations who were enrolled on the general roll would help boost Te Pati Māori’s party vote and both Māngere and Manurewa fit that bill.

– Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air