Category: Te Pati Maori

Source: Te Pati Maori

Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government.

This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals Bill.

“We have placed sixteen Fast-Track applicants on notice that Te Pāti Māori will hold them retrospectively liable and immediately revoke their consents when we form the next Government,” said co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi. 

“We are not here to protect profiteering at the expense of our whenua, our moana, and the wellbeing of future generations.

“These Fast-Track consents represent unchecked exploitation, bypassing due process, environmental safeguards, and the voice of local communities.

“We will ensure that corporations exploiting this flawed system are held accountable for the harm they cause,” said Ngarewa-Packer.

“Te Pāti Māori is committed to repealing the Fast-Track legislation and holding those complicit retrospectively liable for the damage done to the whenua.

“Our message to these corporations is clear: exploit the whenua , face the consequences. Aotearoa is not interested in corporate exploitation driven by the greedy,” said Waititi.

Te Pāti Māori is urging all New Zealanders to stand with them in opposing the erosion of environmental protections and the exploitation of public resources.

Source: Te Pati Maori

Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, is calling Luxon’s leadership a joke after it was revealed this morning on Q+A that ACT’s Treaty Principles Bill was not a bottom line.

“New Zealand officially has a laughing-stock Prime Minister whose leadership folded as he trades away the rights of tangata whenua for a taste of power,” says Ngarewa-Packer.

“What we now know is that the Treaty Principles Bill was not a bottom line for coalition negotiations. Instead, Luxon caved to Seymour and the ACT Party’s demands.

“Christopher Luxon’s leadership is a laughing stock. He is gutless and is being dog-walked by his handlers—ACT and New Zealand First.

“The wool can no longer be pulled over the eyes of New Zealanders when Luxon says he does not support the Treaty Principles Bill. He has clearly folded, and we must be on full alert for what Luxon will trade away next.

“We must continue to apply the pressure, continue to unite in kotahitanga, and commit to making this a one-term government,” she said.

 

Source: Te Pati Maori

Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki is demanding that the Police Minister immediately remove the heavy Police presence in the Matapihi community, as hundreds of officers saturate the Western Bay of Plenty area.

“Minister Mitchell must intervene immediately and order the removal of the armed Police presence in Matapihi, in my electorate,” said Rawiri Waititi, MP for Waiariki.

“The New Zealand Police are causing public disorder in the Matapihi community, harassing and distressing residents, including kaumātua and kuia.

“We have armed officers obstructing access to private property and even urupā where loved ones are buried. This is a disgusting overreach and must be withdrawn immediately.

“This Government is posturing in Māori communities because of their absurd gang-patch ban, diverting significant Police resources to enforce it, while causing more harm than good.

“Iwi, marae, and whānau are working really hard on the ground to ensure tikanga on Marae and urupā are adhered to. Police do not need to be part of that, they have no mandate, and should not be using tangaihanga as an opportunity to clip their gang patch ticket.

“We don’t need hundreds of Police in this small community, aggravating and preying on an already hard time for whānau—such as tangihanga.

“The Minister must withdraw his armed Police force immediately,” Waititi said.

Source: Te Pati Maori

Te Pāti Māori is calling the Government’s first year a catastrophe for Māori, following a year of policies that have done nothing but marginalise tangata-whenua.

Today marks one year since the coalition was sworn into power.

“This year has been an absolute catastrophe for Māori. This Government has fast-tracked us back towards the colonised and assimilated,” said co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.

“This Government is so focussed on taking tangata whenua backwards that it has become horribly clear that they are willing to finish off the colonisation process.

“They disestablished the Māori Health Authority and repealed smokefree laws to keep us dying 7 to 10 years earlier.

“They redirected $3 billion in tax cuts to benefit landlords while pouring funds into mega-prisons, perpetuating cycles of homelessness and incarceration for our people.

“They have withdrawn investment in Te Reo Māori and actively suppressed its use, striking at the heart of our culture and identity.

“They have accelerated the exploitation of our natural resources, prioritising corporate profits over the well-being of our people and environment.

“They’re stripping Te Tiriti protections from the care and management of our tamariki, disenfranchising whānau and enabling the systemic theft of our children.

“And they are progressing to remove Te Tiriti from 28 pieces of legislation, whilst actively trying to erase and redefine it.

“These are only some of the examples that perpetuate the imperial agenda of colonisation.

“This Government’s agenda serves corporate greed – benefiting the 2% who hold 50% of the wealth – while ignoring the voices of tangata whenua and the needs of our nation. We must continue to stand together as we did for the Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti.

“We must remain vigilant, continue to mobilise, and work together to ensure this is a one-term Government,” Ngarewa-Packer said.

 

Source: Te Pati Maori

Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader and MP for Te Tai Hauāuru, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer is calling on the Mayor for New Plymouth, Neil Holdom, to do the right thing.

“I am shocked at his decision to disregard the petition presented by Palestine Solidarity Taranaki calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire”, said Ngarewa-Packer.

“The group made up of his constituents have shown up week after week at Puke Ariki Landing for over a year to stand against the genocide taking place in Gaza, and the killing now extending to Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.

“They have worked with other Palestine Solidarity Network groups who have successfully garnered support from their local councils. They gathered 1800 signatures from local supporters and endorsements from two Iwi, church groups and Taranaki Muslim Association.

“These are your constituents, your people.

“This process unfairly removes the ability for input of hardworking and empathetic councillors who may have chosen to vote in support of this group.

“Unfortunately, this action mirrors what is happening with the current Government – removing due process, disallowing input by those most affected and most informed and harming those who already suffer the most. Fast-tracking and bypassing.

“I refuse to accept that this is not a council issue. This is an everyone issue… this is an absolute issue of human rights.

“In Gaza there have been at least 43 000 killed, over 100 000 injured, over 10 000 missing, almost the entire population displaced and faced with starvation. This is a human issue.

“We have seen successful support from other councils around Aotearoa such as Whanganui and Christchurch and the Mayor himself has in the past shown support for Ukraine, citing the need to support his constituents who may be affected.

“We must afford that same curtesy to Palestinians, their friends, whānau, and advocates within your own community.

“As Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Te Tai Hauāuru I stand wholeheartedly in solidarity with the indigenous peoples of Palestine and stand against colonial forces.

“I urge New Plymouth Mayor to reconsider his position, show his humanity and afford New Plymouth District Council the opportunity to stand on the right side of history”, concludes Ngarewa-Packer.

Source: Te Pati Maori

Te Pāti Māori is calling out the Government and New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) for their inaction and disgraceful downplaying of the impact caused by the sunken HMNZS Manawanui in Samoa.

“We demand the Government move without further delay to clean up its shit from the sunken HMNZS Manawanui in Samoa,” said co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.

“Three weeks have passed since the sinking of HMNZS Manawanui, and our Government continues to carelessly let it spill diesel into the moana of Samoa. It is time this inaction is called out, and the Government is taken to task.

“This Government continues to treat our environment as a dumping ground, and now our Samoan ‘āiga are also suffering the consequences of careless mismanagement.

“This is not just a spill in the ocean; it deprives the Tafitoala community and Samoan people of their moana, their food source, and their economy to survive.

“The fact that the Minister of Defence is downplaying the impact of the sunken Manawanui, calling the spill a ‘trickle’ and questioning the accuracy of Samoan authorities, is disgraceful.

“They must be prepared to compensate the Samoan Government and its communities for the cost of the impact on ecosystems and on the people whose life source has been compromised. They must also be transparent and accountable for any potential impacts on water quality and marine life.

“Failure to act will stain our relationship with Samoa. New Zealand has apologised enough to the ‘āiga of Samoa. Let this not be another case,” said Ngarewa-Packer.

 

Source: Te Pati Maori

Te Pāti Māori is enraged at the National government’s ruthless punishment of beneficiaries, all while jobs are disappearing.

MSD data shows a 133% increase in sanctions over the past year, with over 14,000 sanctions in just three months. The kicker? The jobs this government insists people should find are nowhere to be seen.

“The traffic light system is a dead end, a road to nowhere, a tool designed to punish whānau for not finding jobs the government itself has destroyed,” says Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.

“Instead of supporting people, they’re kicking them while they’re down. It’s cruelty masquerading as policy.”

Since taking office, National has slashed more than 7,000 public sector jobs, then turned around to punish people for being out of work.

“They’ve gutted the job market and then punished whānau for failing to find phantom jobs,” said co-leader Rawiri Waititi.

“This isn’t incompetence—it’s a deliberate attack on our people. They’ve built a system designed to fail, and they’re celebrating the suffering they’ve caused.

Te Pāti Māori has the solutions. Our policies will restore dignity and opportunity. We will scrap benefit sanctions and ensure everybody is paid enough to live with dignity, whether they are in employment or not. We will invest in job creation and retraining programmes.

“While National is pushing whānau deeper into poverty, we offer a path out. Our solutions will allow whānau to thrive, not just survive,” says Ngarewa-Packer.

“Beneficiaries are being sanctioned for missing appointments they can’t afford to attend because they don’t have bus fare,” adds Waititi.

“They tout rising sanctions as success, but what they’re really celebrating is hungry children, struggling families, and people forced into desperation. Calling that a ‘win’ is beyond disgraceful.”

Te Pāti Māori will be demanding an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister to put an end to this failing system.

“We will not stand by and watch as this government destroys our whānau,” says Ngarewa-Packer.

“If they refuse to meet, they are turning their backs on the people. We will hold them to account—in the House and in the streets.”

“This isn’t just about sanctions—it’s about the destruction of our people’s ability to put food on the table without Big Brother looking over their shoulder,” said Waititi.

“If this government can’t see how this disproportionately impacts Māori, then they have gone blind in their ivory tower.”

Te Pāti Māori will fight to end this cruelty and rebuild a system that empowers, supports, and uplifts our people.

Source: Te Pati Maori

Te Pāti Māori MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi, says today’s police-sponsored terrorism in Ōpōtiki is a continuation of the State’s predatory behaviour towards the iwi of Te Whakatōhea.

“Ōpōtiki is once again being intentionally targeted and is the direct byproduct of this Government’s ‘tough on crime’ legislative changes,” said MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi.

“This predatory action only exacerbates the broken relationship between Te Whakatōhea and authorities, which has been strained for centuries, ever since the death of Rev. Carl Sylvius Völkner in 1865.

“Violating whānau in their own homes on a hunch, and then throwing our people into this racist system, will do nothing to address the systemic issues created by this and successive Governments.

“In anticipation of what we know will be yet another empty apology from the Government this week, we recognise these targeted attacks as merely doubling down on this Government’s racist agenda to exterminate our people.”

“I demand that the Police Commissioner immediately convene a meeting with Te Whakatōhea and explain why the police have chosen to activate their state-sponsored terrorism in Ōpōtiki today, when te iwi Māori converges on Tuahiwi Marae in Ōtautahi for the hui ā-motu that empowers te iwi Māori to move towards our own nationalism and liberation from this oppressive Pākehā system.

“Ōpōtiki needs stability, support, and meaningful community intervention, rather than actions that incite fear and division. It doesn’t need the state to continuously torment them,” said Waititi.

Source: Te Pati Maori

Te Pāti Māori Co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer welcome today’s ruling from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which found that a Hobson’s Pledge advertisement regarding customary marine titles was misleading and socially irresponsible.

The two-page wraparound ad, published in The New Zealand Herald, suggested that nearly the entire coastline of Aotearoa is under threat of being awarded to Māori through customary marine titles, implying that this would lead to widespread restrictions on public beach access.

The ASA upheld more than 650 complaints, stating that Hobson’s Pledge’s claims were materially misleading and failed to substantiate their arguments. The Board also recognised that the advertisement unnecessarily perpetuated fear, further marginalising Māori.

“This is exactly the kind of divisive and racist rhetoric that has no place in Aotearoa,” says Te Pāti Māori Co-leader Rawiri Waititi.

“Hobson’s Pledge is playing on misinformation to sow fear and division. This campaign feeds into the age-old tactic of pitting Pākehā against Māori in an attempt to undermine Māori rights that are legally recognised, culturally significant, and protected under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.”

“The ruling highlights what we already knew—that this ad was not only misleading but also socially irresponsible on the part of Hobson’s Pledge and NZME,” said Co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.

“NZME and advertising outlets must take responsibility for the content they publish and promote, especially when it is harmful to Māori and perpetuates dangerous narratives.”

“It is everyone’s duty to stop giving a platform to this kind of fear-based, racist, and misleading propaganda. It must continue to be called out for what it is,” Waititi said.

“Te Pāti Māori stands strong in protecting the rights of tangata whenua and upholding our responsibilities as kaitiaki. It’s time for all of Aotearoa to stand with us in rejecting these damaging and deceptive campaigns.”

“As we have demanded, NZME must now apologise to all tangata whenua across its platforms. It must apologise to all staff, their standards must be reviewed and there must be a commitment to the protection of tangata whenua,” said Ngarewa-Packer.

“This ruling is a win for the truth and a reminder of our collective duty to honour Te Tiriti. This is the type of rhetoric this government continues to embolden.

“Te Pāti Māori will continue to fight for a future where Māori rights are respected, and all New Zealanders understand the truth about our shared history and our collective path forward,” she said.

Source: Te Pati Maori

Yesterday the government announced the list of 149 projects selected for fast-tracking across Aotearoa. Trans-Tasman Resources’ plan to mine the seabed off the coast of Taranaki was one of these projects.

“We are disgusted but not surprised with the government’s decision to fast-track the decimation of our seabed,” said Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader, and MP for Te Tai Hauāuru, Debbie Ngarewa- Packer.

“Seabed mining will wipe out habitats and lead to the extinction of entire species – compromising the livelihoods of our coastal communities.

“Thirty-year permits allowing plumes of sludge, sediment, and residual metals to be discharged from ships will impact ecosystems hundreds of kilometres away from the mining sites.

“This announcement will bring nothing by destruction for the people of South Taranaki, Te Tai Hauāuru, and all of Aotearoa,” said Ngarewa-Packer.

“They aren’t mining in Remuera, or Waiheke Island. Luxon is happy to line the pockets of his rich mates so long as their projects don’t affect him,” said Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader, Rawiri Waititi.

“We have ministers with no experience prepared to gamble the safety of our moana with an experimental sector that failed to meet any environmental threshold in every court across Aotearoa.

“The arrogance of this government is unprecedented.

“They have ignored every piece of evidence, and they have ignored the voices of all the people who will have to deal with the consequences of their short-sighted decisions,” said Waititi.

Whatever “boost” we get for our economy, our taiao will make the real price of these destructive practices unmistakably clear.