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Download AudioA Māori regional councillor is keen to see a Māori Party ticket for the local body elections.
Toi Kai Rākau Iti won his Kohi constituency seat on the Bay of Plenty Regional Council as an independent, but he’s running for reelection as a Te Pāti Māori candidate.
He says the party fosters political engagement among Māori and has a set of guiding kaupapa that will translate well to local government.
“Being able to do that now with a national-aligned or motu wide-aligned whakairo under Te Pāti Māori, for me that goes beyond the branding and any other help they can give. If there is a network of Pāti Māori local government representatives, we can work together to have better outcomes for our people,” Mr Iti says.
He says councillors who run as independents and find themselves out-gunned by more well-resourced tickets.
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