Waatea News: Māori Radio Station

I whakaae Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau ki te tuku pūtea e $2.2 miriona te nui mai i te Tahua Huanga Māori o te Kaunihera hei pūtea tautoko i te whakatūnga o Te Henga Marae mō Te Kawerau ā Maki.

Ko te whāinga o tēnei haumitanga ko te tautoko i te iwi ki te whakatutuki i tō rātou wawata kia whakatūria tētahi marae hei wāhi tāwharau i ōna uri whakaheke.

E ai ki te Tumuaki Huanga Māori o Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau, e ai ki a Nic Turoa, he pokapū atawhai i te tangata, hui ora mai, hui mate mai hoki, nō reira e tika ana kia tautokona tēnei kaupapa.

The post Nic Turoa | Te Tautoko a Te Kaunihera i te Whakatūnga o Te Marae mā Te Kawerau ā Maki. appeared first on Waatea News: Māori Radio Station.

Hundreds of Māori nurses, tauira and health leaders are coming together for the annual Huraina Te Matarau Indigenous Nurses Aotearoa Conference, as nursing leader Kerri Nuku warns the future of Māori health depends on growing and protecting a strong Māori nursing workforce.

Te Rūnanga o Aotearoa NZNO kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku says the annual gathering provides an important space for Māori nurses to confront the pressures facing the profession while strengthening the whakapapa, mātauranga and relationships that sustain them.

The challenges are significant.

Māori remain severely underrepresented in nursing, accounting for about seven percent of the nursing workforce, despite Māori making up a much larger proportion of the population. Research also shows Māori nurses tend to have shorter careers in the profession than their non-Māori counterparts.

Previous workforce modelling presented at the Indigenous Nurses Aotearoa Conference estimated the number of Māori nurses entering the profession would need to increase roughly five-fold, from about 300 to 1,650 annually, to eventually achieve population parity.

Even with major intervention, that could take decades.

For Nuku, the workforce shortage is only part of the battle.

Māori participation in the institutions making decisions about nursing is also under scrutiny, with concern over reduced Māori representation on the Nursing Council.

That debate goes to a much larger issue for Māori health leaders — whether Māori have meaningful influence over the systems governing their workforce, professional standards and ultimately the healthcare received by whānau.

Nuku has consistently advocated for Māori leadership within the health system. Earlier this year she took those concerns to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, calling for Māori leadership to be restored within health and social policy.

The future of Māori nursing also starts long before a nurse enters a hospital, hauora provider or community clinic.

Research published this year highlights the barriers confronting Māori nursing tauira, including financial hardship, competing whānau responsibilities, racism, discrimination, previous educational experiences and difficulties accessing support.

But the research also points towards solutions.

Whanaungatanga, culturally safe learning environments, Māori academic staff, kaiāwhina and strong connections between tauira can improve confidence and create environments where Māori students are supported to succeed.

That is particularly important when whakamā can prevent tauira from asking for help.

The research highlights how culturally grounded support can become a bridge between Māori students and the demands of nursing education, strengthening their confidence and helping them move successfully from study into practice.

For Nuku, increasing Māori participation is not simply about workforce statistics.

Māori nurses bring relationships with whānau, hapū and iwi, cultural knowledge and an understanding of the communities they serve. Strengthening that workforce is therefore directly connected to the wider fight for equitable Māori health outcomes.

Māori nurses are also more highly represented in primary and community healthcare, including iwi providers working with communities experiencing significant health and socioeconomic pressures.

The challenge is ensuring those nurses are valued, supported and retained while creating a much stronger pathway for the next generation coming behind them.

The Huraina Te Matarau Indigenous Nurses Aotearoa Conference provides a place for those generations to meet — experienced Māori nursing leaders alongside tauira preparing to enter the profession.

For Nuku, the future requires more than simply asking Māori to become nurses.

It means creating the conditions that allow Māori tauira to succeed, ensuring Māori nurses can remain in the workforce, protecting Māori leadership at decision-making tables and recognising that a health system capable of delivering for Māori needs Māori nurses at its heart.

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The post #hauora: Māori Nurses Sound the Alarm as Kerri Nuku Pushes for Power, Pipeline and Partnership appeared first on Waatea News: Māori Radio Station.

Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere says the movement is turning its attention away from the political turbulence in Wellington and towards the real contest ahead — Election 2026.

While much of the political conversation has centred on instability within the Government, Te Pāti Māori has officially launched its election campaign in Tairāwhiti, putting its candidates, Māori electorates and grassroots supporters at the centre of its strategy.

For Tamihere, the campaign launch signals a shift from reacting to the political battles of the day to setting out where Te Pāti Māori wants to take the country over the next two years.

The party launched its campaign at Te Poho o Rāwiri Marae in Gisborne, with its strategy placing particular emphasis on winning the candidate vote across the Māori electorates.

The approach reflects the importance Te Pāti Māori is placing on electorate representation under MMP, as it seeks to maximise the number of Māori voices it can return to Parliament.

For Tamihere, the campaign is also about building on the movement that has grown around Māori political participation, rangatahi engagement, Te Tiriti o Waitangi and tino rangatiratanga.

The challenge now is converting that energy into votes.

Campaign launches can demonstrate enthusiasm, organisation and people power, but election day will determine whether that momentum translates into seats in Parliament.

That means mobilisation will be critical.

Getting Māori enrolled, getting whānau to understand both their electorate and party votes, and ensuring supporters actually reach the ballot box will be among the major tasks facing Te Pāti Māori over the coming campaign.

The Māori electorates are also shaping up as one of the key battlegrounds of Election 2026, with Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori all seeking to convince Māori voters that they offer the strongest pathway for representation and political influence.

Tamihere’s focus is on ensuring Te Pāti Māori remains firmly in that contest while building a longer-term vision beyond election day.

The political campaign comes during a time of reflection for te ao Māori following the death of pioneering Māori educator Te Kepa Takataka-ō-Rangi Stirling.

Tamihere is also reflecting on the contribution of Te Kepa, whose work helped transform Māori education in South Auckland and whose legacy continues through generations of tauira and whānau.

Te Kepa, of Te Whānau-a-Apanui and Ngāti Porou, died aged 88. Whānau, former students, iwi leaders and members of the wider community have gathered at Te Kura Māori o Ngā Tapuwae to honour his contribution.

Almost 50 years ago, Te Kepa and his late wife Pani Takawhenua Waipapa Stirling began developing a Māori education pathway within Ngā Tapuwae College.

Their kaupapa created a place where te reo Māori and tikanga Māori could sit at the centre of education for Māori students. What began within a mainstream secondary school developed into an immersion unit and eventually became Te Kura Māori o Ngā Tapuwae.

Te Kepa had originally worked as a carpenter before retraining as a kaiako Māori in 1976. He joined Ngā Tapuwae College as a physical education and Māori language teacher, beginning a journey that would ultimately help strengthen Māori-medium and kaupapa Māori education far beyond the school itself.

His legacy also continued through his tamariki, including Arihia Stirling QSM and Tiwai Stirling, and through the generations of students who carried the kaupapa of Ngā Tapuwae into their own whānau and communities.

For Tamihere, the two kaupapa underline a common theme — Māori advancement is built over generations.

The election campaign is about who represents Māori in Parliament over the coming term, while the life of Te Kepa Stirling demonstrates the enduring impact of Māori who built their own pathways when existing institutions failed to reflect their language, tikanga and aspirations.

Te Kepa will begin his final journey home to Te Whānau-a-Apanui on Tuesday, August 18, returning to Wairūrū Marae at Raukōkore. His nehu will take place at Moutara on Thursday, August 20.

As Te Pāti Māori turns its attention towards the ballot box, Tamihere’s reflections are also a reminder that Māori leadership is measured by more than electoral cycles.

The political contest may be about the next government.

The bigger kaupapa is about the next generation.

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The post #election2026: Eyes on the Prize: Tamihere Says Te Pāti Māori Is Moving Past the Noise appeared first on Waatea News: Māori Radio Station.

Te Pāti Māori has fired the starting gun on its 2026 election campaign with a clear message to Māori voters — winning the Māori electorates will be central to its strategy for changing the Government.

Political commentator and Māori advocate Willie Te Aho says the campaign launch comes at a critical point for the party, as it looks to rebuild momentum and mobilise Māori voters ahead of election day.

Launching at Te Poho o Rāwiri Marae in Tairāwhiti, Te Pāti Māori put its candidates and the Māori electorates at the centre of its election strategy.

Co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi emphasised the importance of the candidate vote, effectively encouraging supporters to think strategically about the two votes available under MMP. The approach allows voters to back a Te Pāti Māori electorate candidate while making a separate choice with their party vote.

It sets the scene for another intense contest between Te Pāti Māori and Labour across the Māori electorates, with representation, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, tino rangatiratanga, housing, hauora and the cost of living among the issues expected to dominate the campaign.

For Te Aho, however, the weekend also carries a much deeper significance following the passing of Māori education pioneer Te Kepa Takataka-ō-Rangi Stirling.

Te Kepa, of Te Whānau-a-Apanui and Ngāti Porou, died aged 88 after a lifetime dedicated to strengthening Māori language, identity and education.

Almost 50 years ago, Te Kepa and his late wife Pani Takawhenua Waipapa Stirling began developing a Māori education pathway at Ngā Tapuwae College in Māngere, helping create an environment where te reo Māori and tikanga Māori could sit at the heart of learning. That kaupapa grew from an immersion unit into what became Te Kura Māori o Ngā Tapuwae.

Te Kepa’s journey was itself remarkable. Originally a carpenter, he retrained as a Māori teacher in 1976 before joining Ngā Tapuwae College as a physical education and Māori language teacher. His work alongside Pani became part of the wider movement that helped establish Māori-medium and kaupapa Māori education across Aotearoa.

His influence extended far beyond the classroom, with generations of tauira, whānau and educators carrying forward the commitment to speaking te reo Māori and placing Māori identity at the centre of education.

For Te Aho, the passing of Te Kepa Stirling and the beginning of another Māori political campaign bring together two powerful strands of the same kaupapa — the generations who fought to build Māori institutions, and the responsibility on today’s generation to protect and advance them.

Te Kepa remains at Te Kura Māori o Ngā Tapuwae in Māngere before beginning his final journey home to Te Whānau-a-Apanui on Tuesday. He will return to Wairūrū Marae at Raukōkore, with his nehu to take place at Moutara on Thursday.

As Election 2026 gathers momentum, the political battle will be fought over votes and representation. But the legacy of leaders such as Te Kepa Stirling is a reminder that Māori advancement has also been built over decades — through kura, te reo, tikanga, whānau and people prepared to create institutions for generations they might never live to see.

#WaateaNews #RadioWaatea #WillieTeAho #TePātiMāori #TePatiMaori #Election2026 #NZElection2026 #MāoriPolitics #MaoriPolitics #MāoriVote #CandidateVote #TeKepaStirling #TeKepaSterling #NgāTapuwae #TeKuraMāoriONgāTapuwae #MāoriEducation #MaoriEducation #TeReoMāori #KaupapaMāori #TeWhānauAApanui #NgātiPorou #Tairāwhiti #Aotearoa #MāoriNews #IndigenousNews

The post #election2026: Te Pāti Māori Hits the Campaign Trail as Willie Te Aho Reflects on a Māori Education Giant appeared first on Waatea News: Māori Radio Station.

Te Pāti Māori has shown it can fill a marae, mobilise its supporters and bring energy to the campaign trail — but Waatea commentator Matthew Tukaki says Election 2026 will ultimately be decided by whether that people power turns into votes.

Reflecting on the party’s campaign launch at Te Poho o Rāwiri Marae in Tairāwhiti, Tukaki says the packed wharenui demonstrated something important after a turbulent period for Te Pāti Māori: its political movement remains alive and capable of mobilising.

The launch brought together candidates, whānau, supporters and prominent Māori figures, providing Te Pāti Māori with an opportunity to move the conversation away from its internal battles and towards the election campaign ahead.

For Tukaki, that matters because the party enters Election 2026 carrying political scars.

Public disputes involving former members, questions over discipline and organisation, and internal conflict have all created uncertainty about whether Te Pāti Māori could maintain its grassroots momentum.

But the scenes in Tairāwhiti suggested that beneath the political turbulence, the party has continued building the relationships, networks and volunteer base needed to fight an election campaign.

The bigger question is whether that enthusiasm can survive all the way to the ballot box.

Te Pāti Māori is placing enormous importance on winning Māori electorate seats, with its campaign strategy strongly emphasising the candidate vote. That strategy could make individual Māori electorates crucial not only to the party’s future but also to the wider contest over who can form the next Government.

The party is also competing in an increasingly crowded contest for voters motivated by kaupapa Māori.

The Greens have signalled their intention to compete strongly for Māori support, while Labour retains deep historical connections across the Māori electorates. Tukaki sees Labour as the next major player whose Māori election strategy will come under increasing scrutiny as the campaign gathers pace.

That sets up a fascinating political contest.

Te Pāti Māori must demonstrate that the passion visible at its campaign launch can translate into electorate victories. Labour must convince Māori voters that representation within a major governing party remains the strongest pathway to influence. The Greens, meanwhile, are attempting to build greater support around kaupapa Māori policies of their own.

Tukaki’s assessment carries a warning for anyone tempted to read too much into the size or enthusiasm of a campaign launch.

Political momentum matters. Volunteers matter. Identity, whakapapa and an energised support base matter.

But none of them automatically deliver an election victory.

For Te Pāti Māori, the challenge now is converting those strengths into organisation on the ground, voter turnout and victories across the Māori electorates.

Its campaign strategy makes that challenge even sharper. The party is encouraging supporters to prioritise Te Pāti Māori candidates in the electorate vote while allowing voters greater freedom with their party vote — an approach designed to maximise Māori representation and potentially strengthen the parliamentary numbers available for a change of government.

It is a strategy carrying both opportunity and risk.

Winning electorate seats could give Te Pāti Māori considerable influence after election day. But enthusiasm at campaign events will mean little unless supporters enrol, organise, campaign and ultimately cast their ballots.

That is the test Tukaki says now lies ahead.

Te Pāti Māori has demonstrated its people power.

Election 2026 will determine whether it also has the voting power.

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The post #election2026: People Power Meets the Ballot Box: Tukaki Says Te Pāti Māori Now Faces Its Real Test appeared first on Waatea News: Māori Radio Station.

A new Whakaata Māori documentary series is opening up one of the hardest conversations whānau can have — how we prepare for death, farewell the people we love, and carry their memory forward.

Death, Reimagined is a six-part documentary series from Māori-led Rotorua production company Jack Media, exploring the practical, spiritual and emotional realities of dying and grief.

Executive producer Nicola Smith, of Ngāti Kahungunu and Rakaipaaka, says the kaupapa is deeply personal and has been shaped by her own experiences of grief and supporting whānau through death and farewell.

Rather than treating death as something to avoid talking about, the series aims to create space for whānau to consider the choices available to them and have meaningful conversations before they reach a time of crisis.

The production is currently seeking whānau willing to share their end-of-life journeys, with the aim of helping others better understand the decisions, responsibilities and possibilities that come with preparing for death.

The series will explore six major areas, beginning with how whānau can take greater control over death and farewell.

That includes home-based tūpāpaku care, understanding funeral rights and costs, and giving families the knowledge to make decisions that reflect their own circumstances and values.

Tikanga Māori will sit at the heart of the kaupapa, with Death, Reimagined examining Māori understandings of mate, grief, remembrance and wairua alongside tangihanga, waiata, karakia and whakapapa.

The documentary will also look at how those traditions continue to adapt within a changing Aotearoa.

Alternative approaches to farewell will also feature, including natural burials, aquamation, eco coffins and other environmentally conscious options.

Technology is changing the grieving process too. Livestreamed tangihanga, digital memorials and online spaces for remembering loved ones will be examined as whānau increasingly maintain connections across generations and geographical distance.

While grounded in te ao Māori, the series will reach beyond one cultural experience.

Māori, Pasifika, Muslim, Indian, Filipino and migrant perspectives are among those being explored, highlighting the different ways communities in Aotearoa maintain traditions, farewell loved ones and preserve identity and belonging after death.

The final part of the kaupapa looks beyond the tangihanga and funeral to what comes afterwards — the ongoing experience of grief, remembrance, healing and returning to everyday life while maintaining a relationship with those who have died.

Broadcaster Stacey Morrison, of Te Arawa and Kāi Tahu, will host the series, with Kathleen Mantel of Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa directing and Tia Smith producing.

For Nicola Smith and the Jack Media team, the kaupapa is about approaching deeply personal stories with dignity while making conversations about dying easier for whānau to begin.

Death, Reimagined is currently in production and is expected to screen on Whakaata Māori and the Māori+ streaming platform, with screening dates to be announced closer to release. Whānau interested in participating are also being invited to contact the production team.

In confronting a subject many people struggle to discuss, Death, Reimagined is asking Aotearoa to consider death differently — not simply as an ending, but as a journey shaped by whakapapa, tikanga, aroha and the memories left with those who remain.

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The post #culture: Death, Reimagined: New Māori Series Opens the Kōrero on Life’s Final Journey appeared first on Waatea News: Māori Radio Station.

Former Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson says the turmoil engulfing Parliament is creating an extraordinary political backdrop as Aotearoa heads towards the 2026 election.

Looking at Parliament from outside, Davidson says the past few weeks have appeared unusually chaotic, with a rapid succession of legislation, political manoeuvring and leadership drama dominating the headlines.

Among the developments has been the passage of the English Language Act 2026, formally recognising English as an official language of New Zealand. The legislation received Royal assent on August 6, putting English into law alongside the existing statutory recognition of te reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language.

For Davidson, the move raises wider questions about political priorities and the continuing use of language and identity as political battlegrounds.

It comes as Parliament has also passed an expansion of citizens’ arrest powers.

Changes to the Crimes Act allow people to intervene to stop Crimes Act offences at any time of day, require those making an arrest to contact Police and follow Police instructions, and clarify that restraints and reasonable force can be used in certain circumstances. The Government says the changes are aimed particularly at strengthening the ability of retailers and security staff to respond to retail crime.

Those legislative battles have unfolded against wider instability at Parliament, including debate around the future of MMP and political speculation surrounding the Government’s leadership.

Davidson sees the intensity of recent events as evidence of a political system increasingly focused on manoeuvring and election-year positioning.

From her perspective outside Parliament, the danger is that the noise coming out of Wellington can overshadow the everyday issues confronting whānau.

For Māori communities, those pressures include housing, poverty, healthcare, education, climate resilience and the protection of te reo Māori, Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Māori rights.

As Election 2026 approaches, Davidson’s focus remains on whether political decisions improve the lives of communities rather than simply dominate another news cycle.

Amid the political turbulence, Davidson is also reflecting on the passing of Te Kepa Takataka-ō-Rangi Stirling, a pioneering figure in Māori education whose legacy stretches across generations.

Te Kepa, of Te Whānau-a-Apanui and Ngāti Porou, died aged 88.

Almost 50 years ago, Te Kepa and his late wife Pani Takawhenua Waipapa Stirling began creating a Māori education pathway at Ngā Tapuwae College in Māngere, putting te reo Māori and tikanga Māori at the centre of learning for Māori students.

Their work developed into an immersion unit and ultimately Te Kura Māori o Ngā Tapuwae, becoming part of the wider movement that transformed Māori-medium and kaupapa Māori education in Aotearoa.

Te Kepa’s own journey took him from carpentry to the classroom. He retrained as a kaiako Māori in 1976 before joining Ngā Tapuwae College as a physical education and Māori language teacher. His influence would ultimately extend far beyond the school gates through the generations of tauira and whānau who followed.

His passing provides a powerful contrast to the political arguments currently playing out in Wellington.

While Parliament debates language, power and the direction of the country, the legacy of Te Kepa and Pani Stirling demonstrates what decades of grassroots Māori leadership can achieve — building institutions, strengthening te reo and tikanga, and creating pathways for generations of Māori tamariki.

Te Kepa will begin his final journey home to Te Whānau-a-Apanui on Tuesday, returning to Wairūrū Marae at Raukōkore. His nehu will take place at Moutara on Thursday.

For Davidson, the political turbulence of 2026 and the passing of one of Māori education’s pioneers offer two very different pictures of leadership.

One is playing out loudly inside Parliament.

The other can be measured in generations.

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The post #election2026: Chaos at the Beehive: Marama Davidson Says Political Turmoil Distracts From What Matters appeared first on Waatea News: Māori Radio Station.

I whakaae Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau ki te tuku pūtea e $2.2 miriona te nui mai i te Tahua Huanga Māori o te Kaunihera hei pūtea tautoko i te whakatūnga o Te Henga Marae mō Te Kawerau ā Maki.

Ko te whāinga o tēnei haumitanga ko te tautoko i te iwi ki te whakatutuki i tō rātou wawata kia whakatūria tētahi marae hei wāhi tāwharau i ōna uri whakaheke.

E ai ki te Tumuaki Huanga Māori o Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau, e ai ki a Nic Turoa, he pokapū atawhai i te tangata, hui ora mai, hui mate mai hoki, nō reira e tika ana kia tautokona tēnei kaupapa.

The post Nic Turoa | Te Tautoko a Te Kaunihera i te Whakatūnga o Te Marae mā Te Kawerau ā Maki. appeared first on Waatea News: Māori Radio Station.

E pātata atu ana a Te Kawerau ā Maki ki te whakatū i a Te Henga Marae ki tōna whenua tupu, whai muri i te whakaae a Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau ki te tuku pūtea tautoko e $2.2 miriona te nui mō te kaupapa nei.

E ai ki te Hea Takirua o Te Kawerau Iwi Tiaki Settlement Trust, e ai ki a Tame Taratu, ko te whāinga kia whakatūria te marae hei wāhi tāwharau i ngā uri whakaheke o Te Kawerau ā Maki.

The post Tame Taratu | Ka Whai Marae a Te Kawerau ā Maki. appeared first on Waatea News: Māori Radio Station.

Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi has taken aim at Prime Minister Christopher Luxon after one of the most turbulent weeks of the political year, arguing National’s leadership turmoil has exposed a Government that Māori voters should remove from office on November 7.

With less than three months until Election 2026, Waititi is sharpening Te Pāti Māori’s campaign message around the Government’s record, National’s internal divisions and what he sees as the need for Māori voters to mobilise.

His assessment of the Prime Minister is characteristically direct — will the real Christopher please stand up?

The challenge reflects a wider criticism from Te Pāti Māori that Luxon has struggled to establish a consistent political identity while simultaneously managing the competing pressures of National, ACT and New Zealand First.

That criticism has been given fresh ammunition by National’s extraordinary leadership crisis.

Luxon was forced to confront questions over his leadership this week after National MPs gathered for a crucial caucus meeting. He survived the confidence vote, while Chris Penk was revealed as the challenger and subsequently stripped of his ministerial portfolios.

For Waititi, however, the issue is no longer whether Luxon commands the confidence of National MPs.

It is whether his Government commands the confidence of the country.

Waititi’s election message is becoming increasingly uncomplicated — vote these buggers out.

Behind the provocative language is Te Pāti Māori’s determination to make the November 7 election a referendum on the entire coalition’s record rather than simply Christopher Luxon’s leadership.

The party has already accused National of becoming consumed with its own survival while whānau deal with the cost of living, unemployment, housing pressures and economic uncertainty.

That allows Waititi to argue that replacing Luxon would not necessarily have changed the fundamental direction of the Government.

From Te Pāti Māori’s perspective, the political target remains the National-ACT-New Zealand First coalition and its decisions across Te Tiriti o Waitangi, te reo Māori, hauora, public services, environmental policy and the economy.

Luxon survived the internal vote.

The country gets its vote in November.

Waititi enters that campaign knowing Te Pāti Māori cannot simply point at National’s problems.

His own party has wounds to heal.

The dramatic breakdown involving former MPs Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and Tākuta Ferris resulted in their expulsion and damaged relationships with electorate organisations in Te Tai Tokerau and Te Tai Tonga.

The Spinoff reports Te Pāti Māori acknowledges it needs to rebuild trust with Māori voters after a period in which questions were also raised about the leadership of Waititi, co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and party president John Tamihere.

The electoral consequences are significant.

Te Pāti Māori won six of the seven Māori electorates in 2023. But Ferris now represents Te Tai Tonga as an independent, while Kapa-Kingi is contesting Te Tai Tokerau under her own newly established political banner.

Former party leader Te Ururoa Flavell has also been among those critical of the party’s direction, while some members of Waititi’s own Waiariki electorate have previously expressed dissatisfaction with the leadership.

So when Waititi tells voters to remove the Government, Te Pāti Māori faces another question coming back in the opposite direction.

Has the party done enough to convince Māori voters to trust it again?

Te Pāti Māori wants the answer to come through policy.

The party has been attempting to shift attention from its internal disputes towards its Election 2026 platform, with Māori self-determination running through much of its programme.

Recent proposals include establishing a Māori education authority, expanding school lunches, providing free public transport for students and strengthening te reo Māori in education.

It has also proposed making Waitangi Tribunal recommendations binding, establishing a parliamentary commissioner for Te Tiriti and requiring legislation to include Te Tiriti impact statements.

Its wider policy programme includes Māori-led structures across health and justice, constitutional reform, housing and economic development, stronger protection for te reo Māori and greater investment in Māori communities.

The strategy is clear.

Te Pāti Māori wants Election 2026 to be fought over kaupapa rather than last year’s internal warfare.

Whether Māori voters are prepared to move on at the same speed remains uncertain.

That makes November particularly important.

Te Pāti Māori is no longer defending the near-clean sweep of Māori electorates it achieved in 2023 from the same position of strength.

Waititi, Ngarewa-Packer, Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke and Oriini Kaipara are defending seats, while new candidates are being asked to rebuild the party’s position elsewhere.

Te Tai Tokerau could become one of the most fascinating contests of the election, with Te Pāti Māori candidate Aperahama Edwards facing Labour’s Willow-Jean Prime, Green candidate Hūhana Lyndon and Kapa-Kingi.

Te Tai Tonga presents another direct test, with Te Pāti Māori candidate Lisa Marie Murch attempting to defeat former party MP Ferris.

These are not simply electorate contests.

They will help answer whether the internal rupture permanently fractured Te Pāti Māori’s support or whether voters are prepared to return their attention to the party’s kaupapa.

There is an obvious irony in the political landscape.

National is asking voters to believe its leadership crisis is over.

Te Pāti Māori is asking Māori voters to believe its own period of chaos is behind it.

Both parties therefore enter the final months of the campaign trying to persuade voters that internal instability should not define their future.

For Waititi, however, the immediate target remains the Government.

His challenge to Luxon — will the real Christopher please stand up — speaks to the argument Te Pāti Māori intends to prosecute through the campaign: that voters have seen enough of this coalition to make their judgement.

National will fiercely contest that assessment.

And Te Pāti Māori will itself face fierce competition across the Māori electorates.

But after a week when a sitting Prime Minister was forced to test his support inside his own caucus, Election 2026 has taken another unpredictable turn.

Waititi wants Māori voters to make the next move.

His message is blunt.

November 7 is the opportunity to vote these buggers out.

Whether voters agree with him — and whether they decide Te Pāti Māori deserves their confidence in return — will be one of the defining political battles of Election 2026.

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The post #election2026: Waititi: Will the Real Christopher Please Stand Up as Election Battle Heats Up appeared first on Waatea News: Māori Radio Station.