'Dictatorship model' - Te Pāti Māori slammed by hīkoi leader

Te Pāti Māori have been accused of operating a "dictatorship model" as Toitū Te Tiriti, one of its closest allies, cuts ties with the party.

The comments came from the organisation's spokesperson Eru Kapa-Kingi who said the movement is taking steps to no longer be politically aligned with Te Pāti Māori.

"This was supposed to be a kaupapa for everyone, a kaupapa that leaves no one behind." He said assumptions of political alignment had created problems, while recent controversies in Te Pāti Māori highlighted why Toitū Te Tiriti needed to draw a clear line.

Kapa-Kingi, one of the lead organisers of the Toitū Te Tiriti movement which led the hīkoi protests to Parliament last year, is the son of Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, Te Pāti Māori's MP for Te Tai Tokerau.

He goes on in his interview with Māni Dunlop from Te Ao Māori News to criticise the party for not following its own constitution.

"Their leadership style, and the way they've been running Te Pāti Māori, is problematic," he said.

"What I realised was that I was sitting in and speaking into what was effectively a dictatorship model, and it just wasn't working."

Kapa-Kingi said he didn't want to provide some examples as "they weren't his stories to tell."

But he says that the party has not been holding annual general meetings and no national council hui with the electorate branches.

Section 6.1 of the party's constitution states: "The Pāti shall annually hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM), Hui ā Tau. Such hui shall be held no later than six (6) months after the financial year ends at a place and time approved by the National Council and notified to the membership of the Pāti not less than two (2) calendar months prior to the Hui ā Tau being held."

A centralised power structure at the top was also described by Kapa-Kingi.

He says when he was on the executive he made requests to introduce tikanga based approaches but that the decisions always came from party president John Tamihere, co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi, and Kiri Tamihere-Waititi.

"There needs to be accountability. If you call yourself a kaupapa Māori party, you always have to circle back to your people. Power comes from them, and it can be taken away just as easily," he said.

Kapa-Kingi has also distanced the Toitū Te Tiriti movement from the narrative that Te Pāti Māori are entitled to the Māori seats.

"What we have to remember is that it's not true that Te Pāti Māori is the only kaupapa Māori party entitled to hold the Māori seats. That's a false, ego-driven narrative. Power doesn't sit with one party - it sits with the people," he said.

Te Ao Māori News reports that they asked Kapa-Kingi if the comments that he was making about Te Pāti Māori were about defending his mother Mariameno.

But Kapa-Kingi denied that saying it was about protecting the trust of Toitū Te Tiriti.

He acknowledged that by speaking out he would potentially cause further division, but he justified it saying that the party could not survive under a "broken leadership system".

Te Pāti Māori told Te Ao Māori News that claims it had failed to meet constitutional requirements were misleading.

They said a National Council hui was held in May this year and a planned AGM for August was postponed following the sudden death of Tāmaki Makaurau MP Takutai Moana Kemp and the subsequent by-election.

The AGM, along with a National Council hui, is now scheduled to take place in the coming months.

The party has categorically rejected allegations of bullying and dictatorship, reported Te Ao Māori, and they claim that all decisions were in line with its constitution.

“No formal complaints have been lodged through the dispute processes available to members, nor have we received such allegations through any other process,” they said in a statement.

The party acknowledged Eru Kapa-Kingi's contribution but would “correct the record where claims are inaccurate or misleading.”

“Eru Kapa-Kingi has long been a valued member of Te Pāti Māori, having served as Vice President Tāne until March this year, where he resigned to focus on his whānau and building the Toitū movement.”

Te Pāti Māori adds: “We are equally committed to ensuring Te Iwi Māori moves as one, directing our energy towards kotahitanga and building an Aotearoa Hou.

“We acknowledge that leadership in the pursuit of liberation is never easy, but we remain steadfast in serving our people and advancing kotahitanga and mana motuhake.”

Te Pāti Māori has faced backlash on a number of issues over the past month.

Te Tai Tonga MP Tākuta Ferris refused to apologise for an Instagram story, where he criticised Indians, Asians, Black people and Pākehā for campaigning for Labour MP Peeni Henare in the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election.

The story was condemned across the political spectrum and labelled as racist by Labour Māori caucus co-chair Willie Jackson.

Te Pati Mãori Co-Leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer apologised to Labour Leader Chris Hipkins privately, but Ferris has never apologised himself.

The party also faced criticism after it denied media, including 1News, Stuff and RNZ journalists, from attending Oriini Kaipara's election night party.

A post by Co-Leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer accused journalists of "jumping out of bushes" and "turning up to kura without whānau knowledge or permission". But these claims have never been substantiated, despite questions being asked about proof of whether these events occurred.

Mariameno Kapa-Kingi also was stripped of the party's whip, with that going to Ngarewa-Packer.