Biggest political take away from Waitangi 2025

For me the biggest political take away from Waitangi 2025 was articulated on Waatea’s new weekend political panel show, Te Kaupapa when Māori Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer articulated a genuine change in communication between Labour and the Māori Party.

She pointed out that Labour were open to their suggested Waitangi Commissioner and noted a change in stance from Labour who were listening more than they were telling.

The other stand out comment by Debbie was the acknowledgement that the Māori Party had previously been focused simply on being a recognisable Māori voice of opposition in politics, but with the reality that the extreme anti-Māori and anti-Treaty agenda of this Government may well make them a 1 term wonder, the Māori Party were having to explore what being a Māori Party in actual power would look like.

This is an incredibly significant change of stance from the Māori Party and points to a maturing of their role in politics.

It’s all good and well to criticise policy, but you actually have to present solutions that can work, and the Māori Party beginning that dialogue inside themselves cements the possibility of this being a one term Government because all National, ACT and NZF have as a justification to retain power is to point at the Māori Party and cry, ‘They are too extreme for middle NZ’.

If the Māori Party can rob the political right of that claim, the political right will flounder.

Luxon’s weakness at stopping ACT from progressing the Treaty Referendum Bill has done something few have managed to achieve, unify the Left.

Waatea’s new weekend political panel show, Te Kaupapa, broadcasts 10am Saturdays