NZ Labour Party Member Mahuta Reflects On Past Term, Plans For The Future

Mahuta, who was unseated in Hauraki-Waikato by Te Pāti Māori’s Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, is now focusing on supporting the party. She believes that it is going to be a “battle” to pitch in 2026 in a way that would convince a broad range of people that “there’s nothing to fear from having a strong foundation and vision for our future”.

Mahuta was asked if she would be running in the election, but said that was not her “intention”. Her intention is to be able to support a strong Labour bid to earn the trust of voters. Mahuta stated that it might have “tried to do too much in the period of time that we had the opportunity to govern”. This suggests that Labour should focus on building their support base.

Mahuta believes that Te Pāti Māori’s Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke has great potential, but needs time to develop her skills. Mahuta said “The threshold of expectation is to deliver. It’s not what you say, it’s what you do.” She also mentioned that Maipi-Clarke should be given “time to grow that talent” rather than being defined by one action.

Reflecting on the previous term, Mahuta stated that while she was proud of Labour’s achievements, they might have “tried to do too much in the period of time that we had the opportunity to govern”. Her aim now is to build the constituency of support to go forward. Mahuta also praised Maipi-Clarke for her passion and said that it should be applauded, but she needs to develop her skills further.

Mahuta was one of the members who performed a haka at Parliament after the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill on 14 November, 2024. She believes in Treaty-based decision making and that this will lead to building “our sense of national identity and who we are as a country”. This is unlike other parties who want to turn the clock back and question the principles.

It seems that Mahuta wants Labour to be confident about their foundation and vision for the future. She also wants the party to deliver on its promises rather than just making promises.