April 15, 2024
Māori Party dreams of Mossie votes
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi and Tāmaki-Makaurau MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp are in Te Whenua moemoeā this week to MC the 9th Australian National Kapa Haka Festival.
Mr Waititi says it’s a chance for the party to build on connections with whānau Māori in Australia as well as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
They also have a meeting with independent indigenous senator for Victoria, Lidia Thorpe, on Thursday.
There are more than 180 thousand Māori living in Australia, and the Maori Party considers it has a role to represent their interests.
It also wants them to enrol and participate in elections.
Mr Waititi says he also wants to create some awareness around the indigenous responsibilities Māori have when living abroad, including their responsibilities as manuhiri but also their accountability to the whenua and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples of Australia.