November 16, 2023
Hearts and minds campaign puts Kemp on top
Māori Party MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp is relieved a recount has confirmed her hold on Tāmaki Makaurau.
Ms Kemp took the seat on special votes, and the recount stretched her margin over Labour’s Peeni Henare from four votes to 42.
She went into the contest as the underdog, but she knew the community and had worked on the ground throughout Covid as chief executive of Manurewa Marae.
“We always knew if we could win the hearts and minds of our people we would have a good shot. We ran a campaign where our people could believe in themselves – believe in you, believe in me, believe in Māori, be proud to be Māori – encouraged our people to rise up , and I think people underestimated the value and importance of our whānau,” Ms Kemp says.