Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer gives an interview with the Herald ahead of the party's campaign launch. Video / NZ Herald
A surging Te Pāti Māori is warning Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Labour they won’t be calling the shots come election day in response to his ruling out a wealth and/or capital gains tax.
The comments came as the party officially launched its election campaign at a Matariki festival Thursday evening in Henderson, West Auckland.
Thousands of people turned out for the family event celebrating the Māori New Year, which took over an entire street and included live performances from Annie Crummer, Tiki Taane and Katchafire.
Support for the party is nearing 4 per cent, according to the Herald’spoll of polls, up from 1.2 per cent at the 2020 election and which means that provided they win at least one Māori electorate would increase their current two to five or even six seats. The poll also gives the Green Party 8.3 per cent support.
Both parties, which Labour would need to have any possibility of forming a Government come October 14, have been critical of Labour’s ruling out of wealth redistribution policies - just this week Hipkins ruled out both a wealth and/or capital gains tax.
Te Pati Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said they were yet to officially launch their tax policies but supported a capital gains, wealth and “ghost” tax - the latter aimed at unused properties.
“We are focused on ending poverty,” she told the Herald.
“The Prime Minister’s thinking is short-sighted, more about him reacting to the next three months [before the election].
“I think the Prime Minister will not have the luxury to be deciding what they will or won’t do [after the election].”
The campaign launch was at an annual Matariki event organised by Whānau Waipareira, whose chief executive is Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere.
Te Pati Maori supporters wave flags at the campaign launch at Matairiki Ki Waipareira in Henderson tonight. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
Among the crowd were many Te Pāti Māori supporters, some noting the strong connection co-leader Rawiri Waititi had to Henderson, being a former pupil and later teacher at Rutherford College (former National leader Simon Bridges also counts among alumni) and with connections to nearby urban Hoani Waititi Marae.
The party took to the stage with seven of its eight candidates, including Labour defector Meka Whaitiri along with new talent like 20-year-old Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke.
The party is yet to unveil its list and key questions remain around the placings of the two, with Maipi-Clarke seen as a rising political star and means to help tap into the young vote but up against it running against Labour stalwart Nanaia Mahuta in Waikato-Tainui.
There was a festive atmosphere for the launch. Along with supporters were also many there simply for the music, although there appeared to be growing interest in Te Pāti Māori from those spoken to.
While it was a family-friendly event and drug and alcohol-free, there was one minor incident where a young man had to be removed by the police.
Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer (centre) and Rawiri Waititi (right) at their campaign launch in Henderson, Auckland. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
He became aggressive near the front of the stage towards another person, in front of media and right next to Waititi and Ngarewa-Packer who were dancing in the crowd.
The pair appeared caught in the middle and attempted to subdue the young man, but appeared completely unshaken by the incident.
“Were you dancing that badly,” Ngarewa-Packer joked afterwards about Waititi.
“Oh, was I putting people off?” said Waititi, who danced and sang throughout much of the evening.
Te Pāti Māori candidate Merepeka Raukawa-Tait and co-leader Rawiri Waititi have a boogie at their 2023 election campaign launch in Henderson, Auckland. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
It comes amid increased concerns about the safety of politicians this election campaign after an increase in threats and abuse.
Ngarewa-Packer said it was special to be able to hold the event on Matariki.
“Happy New Year! [Matariki] is a period for us to be able to reflect on the past, mihi atu to those we have lost, but also to be really reflective and visionary on the goals and what we want to achieve.”
She said it was “humbling” to return to West Auckland having launched the 2020 campaign there, which saw them go from being on “life support” outside Parliament to her and co-leader Rawiri Waititi leading a resurgence for the party.
She said they were running a “two ticks campaign” for 2023 in all seven Māori electorates along with the Rotorua general seat, asking for both party and electorate votes.
Te Pati Maori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
The campaign launch comes off the back of a two-week road trip around the motu, where Ngarewa-Packer said they were at times greeted by crowds in the thousands.
She said the theme of their campaign was “Aotearoa hou”, or in English, “New New Zealand”.
“It is a Tiriti-centric Aotearoa, like coming on to a marae, where everybody is loved, everyone is fed, everyone is welcome, equally made to feel like we belong.”
Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi at the campaign launch at Matariki Ki Waipareira in Henderson with John Tamihere and Meka Whaitiri. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
She said it was what an Aotearoa would look like “uninterrupted by colonisation”.
Waititi pushed back at criticism from National and Act that the party was divisive and only represented Māori.
“Te Tiriti o Waitangi was protecting all of us, tāngata whenua and tāngata tiriti, and Te Pāti Māori stands for that... where everything is more equitable, and nobody gets left behind.”
He said he believed the biggest growth in their support base was non-Māori.
Te Pāti Māori candidates at their launch in Henderson, including co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer (centre) and Rawiri Waititi (right) and former Labour Minister Meka Whaitiri (second from left). Photo / Sylvie Whinray
Ngarewa-Packer said that could be seen when the country was in crisis, such as in Covid and in recent floods and other disasters.
“Marae are the first to open their doors.”
Key policy planks would be around protecting the environment, oranga whenua, and the people, oranga tāngata.
The party has already been pushing specific policies to remove GST from food and to ban seabed mining, with more policies to be revealed over the coming months, particularly around the redistribution of wealth.
Ngarewa-Packer believed their surge in support was because of their focus on Māori and tāngata whenua solutions and “staunch” environmental kaupapa.
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer at the party's 2023 election campaign launch in Henderson, Auckland, with candidates former Labour Minister Meka Whaitiri to her far left and rising star Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
Indeed the party has even called out Green Party co-leader James Shaw, who is Climate Change Minister, over climate policies the Government culled, saying he was responsible. Although Shaw himself is a minister he was not involved in the decisions to ditch the policies because he is not inside Cabinet.
“People want to see solutions and see things that make them feel good about being Māori,” Ngarewa-Packer said.
“No one wants to be living in a nation where the rich are getting richer and those who are struggling, are struggling more.
“Nobody wants to see the homelessness and the displacement that we’re seeing, no one wants to see our environment being threatened and at risk.
“Te Pāti Māori is a party for everyone, it is not only Māori who have been left behind.”
Ngarewa-Packer said the party might not necessarily be in a coalition after the election, indicating if the opportunity arose they could choose the cross benches - a loosely defined position to support a government in certain critical areas but not others - or something else entirely.
The party was also targeting younger voters, with the median Māori age in the mid-20s compared with late-30s for non-Māori.
Ngarewa-Packer said this was why they had such a strong presence on social media.
“Part of that is demystifying what goes on in politics, and what goes on and movements like ourselves, and so our strategy is to be as transparent, to be as real, and to be as natural around the way that we think and act.”
Their party list was mainly wāhine, reflecting the intergenerational nature of many Māori homes, she said.
Ngarewa-Packer said she thought they had a chance in all seven Māori electorates and Rotorua.
Pundits expect co-leader Rawiri Waititi to reclaim Waiariki and Ngarewa-Packer is the favourite for Te Tai Hauāuru. Whaitiri also has a good chance to retain her seat in Ikaroa-Rāwhiti, although questions remain over how her supporters feel about her leaving the Labour Party.
