May 13, 2022
Māori Party in Tauranga by-election snub
The Māori Party says it’s not contesting next month’s Tauranga by-election because of concerns for the safety of any candidate it put up.
Rawiri Waititi, whose Waiariki electorate includes the city which has been represented by Māori MPs for most of the past 40 years, says even in the 18 months he has been in Parliament Tauranga seems to have become more of a breeding ground for racism.
There have been pamphlets delivered to homes saying it’s OK to be white, and a Papamoa man threatened to kill Māori leadership and burn down 150 marae.
“He’s now on home detention. It’s a bit like those two clowns who pinned that young boy down and cut his finger off and walked free. This is New Zealand. And Tauranga has become the Jim Crow state of the South Pacific,” Mr Waititi says.