The battle for the Māori vote is intensifying as Election 2026 enters its final stretch, with National MP and Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka saying there is plenty at stake for whānau as parties sharpen their campaign messages.
Potaka, the MP for Hamilton West, holds the Māori Development, Whānau Ora, Conservation and Māori Crown Relations portfolios, putting him at the centre of several areas directly affecting Māori communities.
One of the latest campaign developments is Te Pāti Māori’s decision to unveil what it describes as a one-person party list. General Secretary Lance Norman is the party’s sole additional list candidate outside its candidates contesting the seven Māori electorates.
Te Pāti Māori says the move reinforces its candidate-vote strategy, with the party concentrating on winning the Māori electorates while encouraging supporters to consider Labour or the Greens for their party vote. The approach has also generated debate about what it could mean for the overall make-up of Parliament.
Speaking with Waatea, Potaka was asked what he makes of the strategy, what National is hearing from Māori voters and which issues he believes will shape the closing stages of the campaign.
The contest comes as parties compete over issues including the cost of living, housing, jobs, hauora, whenua Māori, te reo and the relationship between Māori and the Crown. Potaka’s own portfolios have recently included changes concerning whenua Māori and a refreshed Crown strategy for te reo Māori revitalisation.
With election day approaching, attention will increasingly turn to whether party strategies translate into electorate and party votes — and what Māori voters ultimately decide matters most.
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