Independent MP Meka Whaitiri has broken her silence this morning in her first media interview after defecting to Te Pāti Māori, saying that she didn't feel heard in Labour.
Whaitiri spoke as she returned to Parliament after her shock defection last Wednesday. Speaking to Breakfast, she explained her decision to leave Labour — a party her family had long associated themselves with.
"It's my responsibility as a Māori to return back to a political movement that unashamedly is proud to be Māori. That's my natural fit, and there was always come a time where I would transition back to who I am as a Māori," she told Breakfast.
"I didn't feel I was heard [in Labour]. I've now joined the party where I know my voice, and those I represent will be heard."
The Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP still hasn't spoken to her former Labour colleagues, including Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, after resigning last week.
Whaitiri justified her decision by saying she had to prioritise who she consulted. When asked whether she trusted Hipkins, she emphasised she trusted her whānau.
"I didn't say I didn't trust the prime minister. What I said is that I went to my trusted sources. My whānau has given 23 long, loyal years of service to the Labour Party.
"We have done the right thing, by ourselves, putting our whakapapa first and I'm not going to apologise about that," she said.
The MP's comments come after co-chair of Labour's Māori caucus, Willie Jackson, told Q+A that he believed the caucus could've done more to "look after" Whaitiri.
Speaking to Breakfast today, Whaitiri said: "The timing was right for me and my whānau and we made the decision."
She continued: "Trusted sources. Timing. Tikanga. And I prioritised who I needed to let know. And I did inform the president of the party."
"Our people understand the actions I've taken. It wasn't an easy one, but it was deep within my puku," the MP said.
"Many of your viewers may not understand that.
"As a Māori, they will understand that calling, that beckoning, who we are as Maori, our tikanga, our whakapapa, and that's what was calling me."
Whaitiri said she had sought the advice of the speaker prior to sending a letter about her resignation — now subject to controversy due to waka-jumping rules in Parliament.
"I wrote to the speaker after seeking his advice," the now-independent MP said. "His office provided very good advice, and I wrote accordingly.
"For Parliamentary purposes, I wrote to the speaker, he ruled accordingly.
"People will call it messy, it's quite not."
'Water under the bridge' - Hipkins
Speaking to Breakfast, Hipkins said Whaitiri never reached out to him with any concerns about being unheard within Labour's caucus.
"I don't agree with it. I mean, if she didn't feel heard," he said. " I went back through my messages, thinking: ‘Gosh, have I missed anything from her’?
The prime minister said the reasons behind Whaitiri's defection were now "all water under the bridge". (Source: Breakfast)
"At no point, did she reach out to me indicating that she had anything to say."
The PM said he didn't agree with the assertion that Whaitiri wasn't heard, but said it was now "water under the bridge" as she had left the party.
"Ultimately, it’s a personal decision by Meka," Hipkins said.
"It's unfortunate that she didn't contact me and let me know what her thinking was. But ultimately, that's all water under the bridge. Now she's made her decision.
"I've got much more important things to be focused on right at the moment. We've got to support the constituents in her area through the cyclone recovery. We've got to focus on the budget next week. We've got to focus on the cost of living for New Zealanders."
Jackson was more reflective about Whaitiri's defection on Sunday. He told Q+A that he believed the tenured MP likely left because she didn't get a promotion into Cabinet.
"It's obvious that she probably wanted to be promoted into Cabinet, and she's a very capable minister. Did I do enough as a co-chair to look after her? I don't think I did.
"The first time she was passed over, I supported her, and there was a lot of acknowledgement in terms of her work," she said.
Jackson said the change had caused pain for both sides and that he should've "looked after her better" as the co-chair of Labour's caucus.
Speaking to Q+A, Willie Jackson also discussed the possibility of a Te Pāti Māori coalition at the election. (Source: 1News)
"We have to examine ourselves, because look we know she left, I think it's clear that she was hurting. And we have to ask ourselves: 'Did we do enough?' and I'm prepared to take some responsibility as a co-chair."
During the announcement of her defection, Whaitiri said she was being "called home".
"Māori political activism is part of being Māori. It comes from our whakapapa, and we as Māori have a responsibility to it. Not others, we. Today I'm acknowledging that whakapapa, I'm acknowledging my responsibility to it and it's calling me home," she said last week.
“As the Ikaroa-Rāwhiti sitting MP, I intend to be seated with Te Pāti Māori when we return to Parliament - joining an unapologetic Māori political movement to achieve what was promised to us 183 years ago.”
Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere told TVNZ's Marae last week that there would be "unprecedented political scenes" when Whaitiri would officially cross the floor of the House later today.
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