Debbie Ngarewa-Packer urges Māori Voters to unite and remove Coalition Government

Video: Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says mobilising younger and disengaged Māori voters will be central to the party’s campaign to change the Government. (The Bradbury Group on Waatea News)

Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says Te Pāti Māori will stay focused on mobilising Māori voters rather than being distracted by tactical voting debates, insisting activating hundreds of thousands of non-voters is the party’s pathway to changing the Government.

Speaking on The Bradbury Group’s flagship political show hosted by Waatea News, Ngarewa-Packer said the party’s priority remained encouraging Māori to enrol on the Māori roll and increasing turnout among younger and disengaged voters rather than responding to polling or speculation about election tactics.

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Te Pāti Māori has spent years building support for the Māori roll, pointing to growing enrolment numbers and a surge of younger Māori joining the Māori electorates.

Ngarewa-Packer revealed her party’s goal this election term is activating those who had traditionally stayed away from elections and remind them of the influence they could have in deciding the country’s future.

“Our voting strategy has always been about activating the sleeping giant in Aotearoa politics, the hundreds of thousands of Māori who aren’t voting and who don’t feel valued,” she said.

While acknowledging the importance of winning the Māori electorates and the effect an overhang could have under MMP, Ngarewa-Packer pointed to a focus on enrolling more Māori before the Māori Electoral Option closed, rather than discussing election arrangements.

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Younger Māori voters would play a significant role at this year’s election, as the growing population under 40 had the power to remove what Ngarewa-Packer repeatedly described as a “revolting government”. Rather than competing for votes already in the political system, she outlined Te Pāti Māori wanted to inspire people who had never previously participated.

Image: Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says Māori unity and a strong Te Pāti Māori presence will be critical to removing the Coalition Government and protecting hard-won gains on Te Tiriti, housing, education and employment. (The Bradbury Group on Waatea News)

Ngarewa-Packer also launched a strong attack on the National-led coalition, saying another term in office would be “an absolute disaster” for Māori. She accused the Government of rolling back decades of progress on Te Tiriti issues and called on Māori to unite to remove the coalition at the election.

“We’ve seen the clawback of so many kaupapa that our people fought for over the last 50 or 60 years,” she said.

“This is one of those times where we have to call on our strengths to work united to get rid of this Government.”

It was argued Te Pāti Māori and the Green Party would be needed after the election to hold larger parties accountable and ensure issues such as housing, education, employment and equity were not traded away during coalition negotiations.

The interview ended with an appeal for Māori to enrol and vote, with Ngarewa-Packer saying those responsible for the hardship facing many whānau “do not deserve to be sitting in those seats.”

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*Sponsored video brought to you by Waatea Digital, home of The Bradbury Group on Waatea News.

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