Listen Now: 
August 04, 2025
Peeni Henare on the Tamaki Makaurau By-election
Dale Husband
Posted On August 4, 2025
Download AudioThe Tāmaki Makaurau by-election is shaping up to be a pivotal political contest, not just for the Labour and Te Pāti Māori candidates vying for the seat, but for the future of how Māori political priorities are voiced, challenged, and advanced in the face of an emboldened right-wing coalition government. This is one of the most strategically important Māori electorates in the country.
The by-election, scheduled for 6 September, was triggered by the passing of Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Moana Natasha Kemp on 26 June 2025. Kemp was a first-time MP and a long-time advocate for Māori development and social enterprise.
Two heavyweights have emerged: Labour’s Peeni Henare, a former electorate MP for the seat and current list MP, and Oriini Kaipara for Te Pāti Māori, a celebrated broadcaster and Pouwhiringa Māori with the New Zealand Olympic Committee. Both are ardent advocates for te reo Māori. Both are passionate about kapa haka, although Kaipara edges ahead slightly; she takes centre stage as a performer at Te Matatini, while Henare’s more used to holding the mic and reading the programme notes (which he does exceptionally well).
Oriini Kaipara enters the political arena driven by lived realities and kaupapa. A māmā of four and a nana, Kaipara says her candidacy is about amplifying the cries of whānau who feel abandoned by politicians, particularly under the coalition government of National, ACT, and New Zealand First.
“Just a couple of weeks ago, our rangatahi were in Parliament for Youth Parliament. They had some very poignant, profound, and powerful messages, but they almost went unheard. If you listen, their number one concern is mental health. They’re crying out for help,” she told Dale Husband on Radio Waatea.
Kaipara says that while Parliament argues about policy, Māori families are bearing the brunt of housing shortages, winter illnesses, and a health system no longer fit for purpose.
“A warm, dry, and safe home right now in winter, that’s unattainable for many of our whānau. In Tāmaki Makaurau alone, homelessness has jumped over 50 percent in just the last four months.”
She calls out the coalition government for its silence on Māori issues while boasting about economic growth.
“We’re hearing a lot from Parliament about what this government says it’s doing. But on the ground, we aren’t hearing the real stories in real time, the ones affecting our people the most. Where are the politicians when our people are in crisis?”
Kaipara says her stand is not simply reactive, it’s restorative.
“I hold strong to mātāpono. They were instilled within me from a very young age, tika, pono, aroha, manaakitanga. I know those values aren’t upheld in the House or in politics every day, but that’s definitely who I am.”
Peeni Henare, who held Tāmaki Makaurau for Labour from 2014 to 2023, is seeking to reclaim the seat he narrowly lost in the last general election. Now a list MP, Henare says this by-election is a moment of reckoning and restoration.
“Yes, I did lose, but I can’t discount the fact that over 10,000 people still voted for me. So I want to test that mandate again and seek it from the whānau of Tāmaki Makaurau.”
Henare acknowledges that Labour made mistakes in its previous term, particularly in its relationship with Māori voters.
“Chris Hipkins has made it clear, after the last election, our job has been to listen and reconnect. I think we’ve done a really good job of that across Aotearoa, and this by-election is a test of whether or not we’ve truly listened.”
He also responded to suggestions that his return to the seat would displace a Māori voice in Parliament.
“If I win the seat, I vacate the list spot, and the next Labour list MP, Georgie Dansey, comes in. So it’s not about taking a Māori voice away, it’s about strengthening our presence with a renewed mandate.”
The Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, has said he expects the by-election will be a “soft pillow fight” between the two parties. At the same time, some media commentators predict a fiery contest between the candidates. But Henare insists the real opponent is the government.
“Some want to see fire and brimstone, but that’s never been my brand of politics. I’ve always worked alongside strong advocates, from John Tamihere to Marama Davidson, while staying focused on respectful but staunch advocacy. The real fight is with the three-headed taniwha that is the coalition government.”
Both candidates are politically astute and deeply embedded in their respective communities. The choice before Tāmaki Makaurau voters is not simply between parties, it’s between two distinct styles of Māori leadership, two sets of lived experience, and two strategies for resisting what many are calling the most anti-Māori government in decades.
With nominations closing on 5 August and early voting beginning 25 August, the by-election will be a litmus test for Māori electoral engagement and political direction. By-elections have typically low turnouts. But given the mobilisation of the toitū te tiriti movement in opposition to the now defunct Treaty Principles Bill and the Regulatory Standards Bill, that could change.
Whether Kaipara brings a new voice into Parliament or Henare reclaims his place to finish what he started, one thing is certain: the people of Tāmaki Makaurau are demanding more than politics as usual. They’re demanding rangatiratanga.
RELATED NEWS
