With Election 2026 approaching, Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere joins Radio Waatea to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the party as it campaigns for a stronger independent Māori voice in Parliament.
Te Pāti Māori is contesting all seven Māori electorates, with its campaign centred on Te Tiriti o Waitangi, mana motuhake, housing, health, the cost of living, Māori economic development and greater Māori control over decisions affecting whānau, hapū and iwi.
The party is also proposing significant constitutional change, including an independent Te Tiriti Commission, making Waitangi Tribunal recommendations binding and a $220 million Mātike Mai Fund over four years to support Māori-led discussions about constitutional transformation.
But the campaign also presents challenges. Te Pāti Māori must compete for the Māori electorates, build its party vote and demonstrate how its wider kaupapa translates into practical improvements for whānau dealing with immediate pressures such as housing, kai, power bills and access to healthcare.
For Tamihere, the election campaign is an opportunity to make the case for what greater Māori political and economic power could mean in practice — and ultimately it will be Māori voters who decide what representation they want in the next Parliament.
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