Response to Prime Ministers Statement 2026

Tēnā, kua rongo au i te kī taurangi a te Pirīmia. E mihi tonu ana ki te parekura ki runga o Mauao. Rātou i ngaro i roto i te āwhā nui, me te horapa o te āwhā ki runga ki te tini me te mano,e mihi ana.

[Now then, I have heard the Prime Minister’s pledge. I acknowledge the great tragedy that occurred at Mauao. Those who were lost in the great storm, and the many who were affected by the storms, I acknowledge you.]

As I listened to the Prime Minister address the nation following the catastrophic floods from the East Coast to the Far North, his praise for our marae, our hapū, and our iwi communities could only be received as hollow words and shallow praise, particularly when we take into account the actions of his Government over the past two years.

I think of all the marae, the hapū, the iwi communities across Te Tai Tonga, throughout Te Wai Pounamu that have carried out that same work for the last decade or more as these events intensify. From Te Āwhina and Whakatū during the Nelson floods to Omaka andTakahanga duringthe Kaikoura earthquakes, they were the lifelines of their communities; Tuahiwi and Ngā Hau e Whā, all the way down to Murihiku. Our marae, our hapū, and our iwi have always done this work. I acknowledge the $1 million fund. I agree it’s obviously insufficient, but at least it’s a start. I hope the Prime Minister carries his newfound appreciation for te iwi Māori into the rest of the election year.

Then we had Waitangi, and rather than take the opportunity to set out a strong commitment to te iwi Māori, another pre-prepared speech again felt like hollow words and shallow praise. Rather than step up to the challenge and hope of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, he managed to reduce it to something akin to socialism, and that he’s not really into that, when the promise of Te Tiriti o Waitangi is ora; it’s wellbeing for everybody. We’re tired of politicians showing up and reading speeches to us. We want to hear from you. We want to know what your commitment to Te Tiriti, to te iwi Māori is. We want to know that you understand the issues impacting Māori most.

We expect more. We expect leadership that upholds Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the foundation of our country. We expect more, and more importantly, our rangatahi expect more. Our rangatahi are the future of the country. I’ve spoken about this many times in this House. They are the future of the labour workforce and can’t be ignored. They will no longer tolerate being pushed to the back. They want to know what’s on offer for them. At this very moment, they are mobilising to take control of their own political futures.

As we head into this election year, te iwi Māori need to be clear that there is only one critical task that needs to be done this year, and that is a change of Government, and the key thing for us to remember is that we have the numbers to do it. Through all the current political noise it remains clear that party politics continues to fail Māori. The political model that promotes the idea that there can only be one leader, one president, one chair, one set of ideas has never delivered the change that we need the most. Our representation is driven from the ground up, not the top down. Our leadership invites sharing of power and acknowledgment of mana, not the hoarding of power and diminishing of mana. Our leadership is for the people by the people, not for the people by individuals.

If the two recent polls are even remotely accurate, the independent Māori seats will play a critical role in determining who the next Government will be. The message is clear, e te iwi: the independent Māori seats continue to be our greatest political leverage and opportunity. We must retain them. Stay on the Māori roll. Every 35,000 Māori that get on to the Māori roll triggers a new independent Māori seat. We must continue. We could have 16 independent Māori seats. We must maximise the Māori vote this year for a change of Government.

We cannot afford any wasted Māori votes. To all of our wāhine, our māmā, our aunties, nannies, our sisters, our cousins, we’re going to need you this year. We’re going to need you to make sure that each of your whānau are organised ahead of time, that they are on the Māori roll before August, that they are confirmed enrolled to vote before October, and that when early voting opens on 26 October, we vote early and we vote as whānau.

Nō reira, kia kaha—kia kaha rā, e te iwi Māori i roto i tēnei tau. Kia māia, kia manawanui. Kei a tātou te mana hei kōwhiri i te Kāwanatanga haere ake nei. Nō reira, kia toitū te iwi Māori, kia toitū anō hoki ko te Tiriti o Waitangi. E te Pika, tēnā koe, tēnā rā tatou.

[So to the Māori people, be strong—be strong this year. Be courageous and stout-hearted. We have the power to choose the upcoming Government. So may the Māori people stand firm, may the Treaty of Waitangi endure. Madam speaker, I acknowledge you, I acknowledge all here.]