Oriini Kaipara is now officially sworn in as the new MP for Tāmaki Makaurau, a powerful moment of renewal for Te Pāti Māori and the communities she represents.
The byelection was triggered by the passing of Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Moana Natasha Kemp, who died from kidney disease in June.
Kaipara used her maiden speech to highlight aspirations for te reo Māori and te ao Māori, acknowledging several events starting in 1975, as symbols of Māori resilience and resistance.
“In 1975 three historical events took place. Dame Whina Cooper and Te Rōpū Matakite led the biggest land march of its time… The Waitangi Tribunal was established… and Te Wiki o te Reo Māori also began that year. Here we are, 50 years later, celebrating but with eyes wide open to the realities both institutions face right now,” says Kaipara.
She says acts of resistance before and during her lifetime have inspired her to take te reo Māori me ōna tikanga to the world and into her political journey.
“The Aotearoa hou I aspire to is free from racism, from discrimination, from trauma and from unnecessary suffering. The Aotearoa hou I see is vibing. It’s thriving, growing and going forward, not backwards,” says Kaipara.
Her kauwhau was cut short by Speaker Gerry Brownlee due to time constraints, with proceedings suspended as kaitautoko performed a haka tautoko following the waiata Whakarongo by Ngoi Pewhairangi.
