Māori didn’t abandon Labour ... but everyone else did

New Te Pāti Māori MPs Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke and Tākuta Ferris at Parliament. Photo / Mark Mitchell

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A look at the seven Māori electorates goes against the trend of general seats - Māori didn’t abandon Labour but everyone else did.

While Labour lost four - and depending on special votes possibly six Māori electorates - they won the party vote in all seven Māori electorates.

With special votes yet to determine MPs for Te Tai Tokerau and Tāmaki Makaurau, Labour can at least take some consolation that Māori did not jump off the red waka but strategically voted to get MMP - More Māori in Parliament.

Labour’s Māori election strategist Willie Jackson said while they got blue rinsed in the general electorate seats, it was not all doom and gloom in the Māori electorates.

“First off, I want to congratulate Te Pāti Māori on their campaign strategy to bring out the youth vote. John Tamihere deserves credit for building the party from nothing in 2017 to four and possibly five seats in election 2023,” Jackson said.

“So big ups to them.

“But if you look at the breakdown of the Māori electorates, Labour won the party votes across all seven Māori electorates.

“I believe that is a credit to the Matariki Māori holiday everyone now enjoys, more funding for Te Matatini and targeted Māori funding of over $1 billion a year.”

Willie Jackson.

Jackson said Waiariki was a prime example where Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi won the seat comfortably on the night with 15,890 votes over Labour’s Toni Boynton 4395. But Labour won the party vote with 9454 votes to Te Pāti Māori’s 7891 votes, Green’s 1158 votes and New Zealand First’s 908 votes.

“Toni was never going to upstage Rawiri, who is a rock star in politics, but she did really well to get the people of Waiariki to party vote Labour and must be given credit for that,” Jackson said.

“I am so proud of Toni for what she did for Labour. She comes out with her head held high.”

It was a nerve-racking evening for Mariameno Kapa-Kingi Photo / Brodie Stone

In Te Tai Tokerau, while incumbent and senior Labour MP Kelvin Davis has a 487 (7792) election night lead over Te Pāti Māori candidate Mariameno Kapa Kingi (7305), the special votes shouldn’t change the party votes as Labour has a comfortable (9287) 4225 vote lead over Te Pāti Māori (5062).

“Of course we were disappointed to lose seats but my read is our people did support us and sent a message they want Labour and Te Pāti Māori to work together,” Jackson said.

“What has happened in the Māori seats has not been replicated in the general seats.”

Takutai Natasha Kemp eyes a future in politics. Photo / Te Pāti Māori

In Tāmaki Makaurau Peeni Henare (7408) has a 495 election night lead over newcomer Takutai Tarsh Kemp (6913) and Labour (7808) has a 2511 vote lead over Te Pāti Māori (5297).

“I don’t expect to lose Tāmiki Makaurau or Te Tai Tokerau but even if we were to drop those seats, you can’t take away that we did well on the party vote,” Jackson said.

But Hauraki-Waikato is where Te Pāti Māori pulled the biggest rabbit out of the hat with Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke (8825) winning on election night by 1366 over Nanaia Mahuta (7459). But again Labour (8031) has a healthy 2257 election night lead over Te Pāti Māori (5504).

“This result was incredible for Hana and the Māori Party but our people still supported Labour with the party vote,” Jackson said.

“To say Māori deserted Labour is not right and has to be put into perspective.

“Maybe voters thought Nanaia was on the Labour list but it didn’t work out that way.”

Part of the problem, as well, was in the final weeks lead into the election, Mahuta’s Foreign Affairs role kept her out of the country.

Cushla Tangaere‑Manuel is the Labour Party candidate for Ikaroa-Rāwhiti. Photo / Paul Taylor

In Ikaroa Rawhiti, where Cushla Tangere-Manuel (10,804) held out Labour defector Meka Whaitiri (7944) by 2860 votes, on the party votes, Labour (11,052) gained an even bigger lead of 6280 over Te Pāti Māori (4772).

And the decision by speaker of the house Adrian Rurawhe to not stand in Te Tai Hauāuru left the door open for Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer (11,695) to sweep in as the electorate MP over Soraya Peke-Mason (5348) with an election night majority of 6347. Again Labour (7978) won the party vote by 1528 over Te Pāti Māori (6450).

“There are now two Māori representatives from Te Tai Hauāuru,” Jackson said.

“That is very good strategic voting by Māori. MMP at work.”

Rino Tirikatene returns to Parliament as a list MP. Photo / Jason Walls

And in the second upset of the Māori electorates Te Tai Tonga, Takutai Ferris (9426 votes) ended the Rino Tirikatene (7963) reign with a 1283 election night win. Tirikatene had been the MP since 2011. But Labour (7759) won the party vote by 3288 over Te Pāti Māori (4471).

“Te Pāti Māori and rightly so should be very proud of what they have achieved but don’t dismiss what Labour did,” Jackson said.

“We didn’t get wiped out in the Māori seats, unlike some Labour colleagues who lost general seats, where they held huge majorities.

“Some seats like Rongotai had a 20,000 majority wiped out but managed to win the party vote on the night.

“What happened in the Māori seats was unprecedented but Rongotai is the only seat close to replicating what happened in the Māori seats but that party vote could also go to the Greens, it’s a very close to call.

“We can still take some credit for taking 44 per cent of the Māori votes and while we are disappointed to lose Nanaia and the Te Tai Tonga seat, it was not the first time Hauraki-Waikato or Te Tai Tonga has gone against Labour.”

The only Māori seat which Labour has not lost is Ikaroa Rawhiti.

Jackson, who will consider his future in 2024, says Labour still has the biggest Māori caucus with 10 - down three MPs on when it was the government.

Joseph Los’e joined NZME in 2022 as Kaupapa Māori Editor. Los’e was a chief reporter, news director at the Sunday News newspaper covering crime, justice and sport. He was also editor of the NZ Truth and prior to joining NZME worked for 12 years for Te Whānau o Waipareira.