Te Pāti Māori visits Queensland to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia

Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi.

Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi and Tāmaki Makaurau MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast tomorrow to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia.

The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for the MPs and the Party to build on connections with whānau Māori in Australia as well as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Their programme includes engagements with performing kapa haka, their whānau and communities. MPs will also be the masters of ceremony at the kapa haka event which determines which groups from Australia qualify for Te Matatini 2025.

They will also include a meeting with independent indigenous senator for Victoria, Lidia Thorpe, on Thursday, April 18.

“There are over 180,000 Māori living in Australia, according to the last census,” Waititi said.

Tāmaki Makaurau MP Takutai Natasha Kemp will travel to Australia with co-leader Rawiri Waititi tomorrow.

“It is important that we build connections with them and their whānau, as part of our role to represent their interests.”

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“Our visit will focus on creating awareness of the issues grappling our people in Aotearoa, what their specific aspirations and challenges are and why it is important that they enrol and participate in elections,” Waititi said.

“I also want to create some awareness around our indigenous responsibilities when living abroad. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are the oldest indigenous culture on this planet.

“As manuhiri to this sacred whenua, it is important that Māori understand their responsibilities as manuhiri but also their accountability to the whenua and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples of Australia.”

Victorian Senator Lidia Thorpe.

Waititi said hooking up with Lidia Thorpe will be a highlight.

“We are really looking forward to creating ties with indigenous counterparts including Senator Thorpe who shares very similar values and approaches to the representation of indigenous Australians, as we do in Aotearoa.”

The pōwhiri for the Kapa Haka Festival will take place on Friday with the competition starting on Saturday.