National Party candidates Hinurewa Te Hau (Tāmaki Makaurau) and Harete Hipango (Te Tai Hauāuru). Photo / Michael Neilson
For the first time in 20 years, the National Party is standing candidates in Māori electorates, Hinurewa Te Hau in Tāmaki Makaurau and Harete Hipango in Te Hauauru.
Te Hau and Tāmaki Makaurau grew up together. The mother of one was born in the converted Army barracks that served as the first Cornwall Maternity Hospital.
As a young girl, central Auckland the open spaces were her playground and the burgeoning streets was where she honed her entrepreneurial skills.
Te Hau has a long whakapapa in politics with the National Party. Her father, Matiu Te Auripo Te Hau, was one of the five young leaders handpicked by Tā Apirana Ngata to help lead Māori towards a stronger, brighter New Zealand future.
Ngata from Ngāti Porou was Liberal Party MP for Eastern Maori, a seat he held for nearly 40 years. As Minister of Native Affairs from 1928 to 1934, he worked on improving government policy to advance housing, health and education. The Liberal Party went on to become the National Party when it amalgamated with the Reform Party in 1936.
“My father was one of those ‘young bucks’ groomed for leadership as a trailblazer in Māori education, and who went on to have a long career as a senior academic at Auckland University working tirelessly for equal citizenship of Maori,” Te Hau said.
“My dad became the vice-president Māori of the National Party through the ‘60s and ‘70s.
“When he passed away I followed in his footsteps and my own hāerenga with the party saw me joining the Young Nats in 1980.
“I grew up in a household filled with the boldest and best ideas with academic minds and rangatira of the time, who spoke about how equal citizenship could be advanced so no one would be left behind, economically and socially.
“I believe Ngata’s ideas were futuristic, innovative and bold, and I believer today is that future.”
Te Hau says National is staunchly supportive of the Treaty of Waitangi as the founding document of New Zealand. This is what drives her in her political aspirations for equal citizenship and equal opportunity for all Māori and New Zealanders.
She said New Zealand has endured 6 years under a Labour Government of divisiveness and the abandonment of equal citizenship. She says Labour’s policies have in fact impacted negatively against Māori.
“In a number of areas Government’s work on Maori outcomes has failed. Like it’s failed our rangatahi in education, health and social growth.”
Te Hau is director and founder of the Matariki Cultural Foundation, formerly the Tamaki Makaurau Matariki Festival Trust. She considers herself “a behind the scenes” kaimahi building strong relationships with roopu at community level as well as marae, hapū and iwi to advance their economic aspirations.
Her working career tells a story of creating opportunities for local communities and regional economies to bring about creative social change, using myriad art forms to improve learning and wellbeing, increase tolerance, build resilience and increase overall wellbeing for both individuals, families and the communities.
“The failure of leadership by the Labour government to consult transparently with communities resulted in division, fear and frustration. A lot of the community frustration was unfairly levelled at Māori,” she said.
“This put at risk the good progress made by both Māori and the previous National Government, between 2008-2017.”
She is a staunch supporter of Whānau Ora as a pathway to progressive social and economic development. But like the architect of the innovative programme, Dame Tariana Turia, Hinurewa says state dependency is an anathema to Māori.
“National stands for tino rangatiratanga, the empowerment of individuals to help themselves and get ahead rather than rely on someone else to give them a mana-reducing hand-out.”
Te Hau is standing against Labour’s Peeni Henare, Takutai Kemp from Te Pāti Māori and Hannah Tamaki from Vision NZ.
United in the values of tiaki (care), mana (respect) and hihiko (ingenuity).