With fewer than 100 days until the 2026 General Election, Te Pāti Māori has laid out its strategy to defeat the governing coalition, arguing that New Zealand must fundamentally rethink how it invests in communities.
Speaking with Radio Waatea, John Tamihere, Chief Executive of Te Whānau o Waipareira, said the country’s future depends on shifting from a system that primarily responds to crisis towards one that deliberately invests in prevention, long-term community assets and whānau wellbeing.
His comments come as Te Pāti Māori continues outlining its election strategy, centred on strengthening tino rangatiratanga, Māori economic development and greater Māori leadership in decision-making.
Tamihere said New Zealand has become too focused on responding to problems only after they emerge.
While acknowledging the essential role played by hospitals, emergency housing, crisis services and intervention programmes, he argued they should not represent the limit of the country’s ambition.
Instead, he believes governments should invest earlier and more strategically to prevent disadvantage before it develops.
“The question is not whether we continue funding crisis services—they will always be needed. The question is whether we are prepared to build communities where fewer people require those services in the first place.”
He said this preventative philosophy has guided Waipareira’s approach for decades.
According to Tamihere, every investment made by Te Whānau o Waipareira is measured against one simple principle: does it strengthen communities?
Rather than pursuing financial returns alone, Waipareira seeks investments that generate lasting social, cultural and economic value for Māori communities.
That philosophy extends beyond buildings or infrastructure projects.
It includes procurement decisions that create Māori employment, supporting apprenticeships, strengthening Māori businesses through supply chains and ensuring wealth generated by development remains circulating within the communities where it was created.
Tamihere said too often communities generate value that ultimately benefits others rather than local whānau.
“If we don’t deliberately follow the full value chain—from investment through procurement, employment, ownership and capability—we miss the opportunity to build permanent prosperity for our mokopuna.”
Tamihere also outlined clear boundaries around where Waipareira chooses not to invest.
He said industries that profit from community harm—including gambling and casinos—have no place within the organisation’s investment strategy.
For Waipareira, capital is viewed not simply as a mechanism for generating financial returns but as a tool to strengthen communities and improve long-term wellbeing.
He said every investment should leave communities stronger than before.
That philosophy is perhaps best illustrated by the Whānau Ora Precinct currently being developed in Middlemore.
Stage One of the project includes 92 apartments for kaumātua, but Tamihere said the development was never intended to be simply another housing project.
Instead, it represents the foundation of a broader vision bringing together housing, integrated health services, wellbeing support, research, innovation and emerging health technologies—including artificial intelligence—to improve outcomes for whānau.
He described the precinct as permanent community infrastructure designed to continue generating social, cultural and economic value for generations.
Tamihere said real transformation comes not from programmes that end when funding expires but from assets that continue serving communities indefinitely.
Buildings themselves are not the objective, he said.
Rather, the goal is creating places that make healthier lives, stronger whānau, greater independence for kaumātua, research opportunities and innovation possible.
For Waipareira, that represents the true purpose of investment.
“It should leave something behind that is bigger than any one programme, funding contract or generation.”
The conversation comes as Te Pāti Māori continues setting out its election vision across areas including education, housing, health, economic development and constitutional reform.
The party argues long-term Māori-led investment and decision-making are essential to addressing persistent inequities and creating sustainable prosperity for future generations.
Whether through a proposed Māori Education Authority, Whānau Ora expansion or greater community ownership of assets, Te Pāti Māori says the focus must remain on building enduring capability rather than responding only when communities reach crisis.
As campaigning intensifies ahead of November’s election, the debate is increasingly shifting beyond immediate political issues towards competing visions of what kind of country New Zealand wants to become.
For Tamihere, the answer is simple.
“We are not just building for today. We are building forever, because we are the forever people.”
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#Election2026 #TePātiMāori #JohnTamihere #Waipareira #WhānauOra #MāoriEconomy #TinoRangatiratanga #CommunityInvestment #Hauora #Housing #Kaumātua #AI #MāoriDevelopment #SocialInvestment #TeAoMāori #Mokopuna #RadioWaatea #WaateaNews
