NMP MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipa-Clarke’s Election Win Signals Shift for Te Pāti Māori

Hauraki-Waikato MP, Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke was among those to perform a haka at Parliament after the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill on 14 November, 2024.

NMP Hana-Rawhiti Maipa-Clarke’s win in the Hauraki-Waikato seat at the 2023 election signals a shift for Te Pāti Māori. MP, Mahatirah Mahuti, believes that this represents an opportunity for Labour to support a strong Te Pāti Māori bid.

MP Mahatirah Mahuti explains “We have had the opportunity to govern and while we were proud of our achievements, it may have tried to do too much in the period of time that we had. We have to reflect on that. We have to show the constituents and the voters of New Zealand that on questions like CGT, we’ve got to take people with us.”

However, NMP Hana-Rawhiti Maipa-Clarke was unseated in Hauraki-Waikato by Te Pāti Māori’s new MP. Mahuti believes this represents an opportunity for the new MP to develop her skill set and translate that into political capital.

“This is important because she has been growing in a community of being positively and confidently, Māori, Waikato, Ngāpuhi, and everything that she can whakapapa too,” says Mahuti. “That’s important, and that’s the generation that my kids are growing up in.”

While MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipa-Clarke was young and had a passion to express herself, Mahuti believes that her intention should be applauded, but also defined by delivering to her people.

“There’s one thing doing the haka, there’s another thing delivering to her electorate,” says Mahuti. “The threshold of expectation is to deliver. It’s not what you say, it’s what you do.”

The new MP’s development of her skill set will be crucial in her role as Hauraki-Waikato MP.

In this article, we highlight the shift for Te Pāti Māori and the opportunities that Labour has to support a strong bid. We also explore the importance of developing political capital and delivering to one’s people.