The Green Party has released its list of candidates for the 2023 election which features three Māori in the top 10, one less than initially proposed.
“With more Māori Green MPs, we can push the Crown to uphold its promise to guarantee tino rangatiratanga of tangata whenua over their whenua, kainga and taonga katoa,” said co-leader Marama Davidson.
“Our message is simple: if people want a government that delivers that plan for Aotearoa, we need more Green MPs. Ko tēnei te wā.”
The newly released 31-person list includes nine Māori candidates.
Greens co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson. Photo / Mark Mitchell
In addition to current MPs Marama Davidson (Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa and Ngāti Porou) and Teanau Tuiono (Ngāpuhi, Ngāi Takoto), the Green Party has included Hūhana Lyndon (Ngātiwai, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Whātua, Te Waiariki, Ngāpuhi), Darleen Tana (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou, Ngā Rauru, Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Kahungunu), Kahurangi Carter (Ngāti Maniapoto), Benjamin Doyle (Ngāpuhi), Mike Davidson (Ngāi Tahu), Reina Tuai Penney (Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Maniapoto) and Rochelle Francis (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whanaunga, Ngāti Maru).
Until recently, the Green Party had three Māori MPs (from a total of 10 Green MPs) - Davidson, Tuiono and Dr Elizabeth Kerekere - and when the party released its initial candidate list in early April, four Māori featured in the party’s top 10, Hūhana Lyndon the new addition at number 8 on this list.
But Dr Kerekere’s resignation this month has put paid to this. Now there are only three Māori in the 10 and Lyndon has been dropped two places to tenth.
The most recent political poll has the Green Party retaining their current 10 seats, which would see Lyndon join Davidson and Tuiono in the next parliament if an election were held when the poll was taken. The other six Māori on the list would not make the cut.
The most seats the Green Party has had in parliament is 14 in 2011 and 2014.
