Te Pāti Māori may be reduced to a single seat at this year's election, veteran Labour MP Adrian Rurawhe says.
Rurawhe, who was one of his party's most senior Māori leaders, announced his retirement last month. He spoke to Q+A as he reflected on his decades involved in Māori politics, his time as Parliament's Speaker, and the state of frontline politics today.
Asked about Te Pāti Māori's chances at November's election, Rurawhe was blunt about his opinion after months of infighting in the support party.
"They'll be lucky to keep one [seat]," he said. "I believe if it's consistent across the whole country of what I'm hearing, then they will be lucky to have one seat."
Te Pāti Māori won six of the seven Maori seats at the last election, its strongest ever result.
Rurawhe, who supported the original Māori Party before leaving over its decision to align with National, said the current incarnation bore little resemblance to the party co-founded by Tariana Turia, whom he supported closely.
"It's not the party that Tariana Turia started. It's a different party today," he said.
First elected in 2014, Henare has not sought a nomination for a seat, or a place on the party list. (Source: 1News)
"They could have learned a lot from the likes of Tariana and Pita Sharples and Te Ururoa Flavell and the way that they operated in Parliament.
"They seem to currently operate outside the rules of Parliament and think that the rules don't apply to them, whereas Tariana knew how to navigate through standing orders."
He said those standing orders were "very English" in origin, and everyone in Parliament had to navigate them, but doing so required relationships across the house.
"You can almost do anything by leave of the house, but you need the relationships across the whole Parliament to do it."
Labour's lessons from govt, Henare departure
Rurawhe, who served as the Te Tai Hauāura MP for three terms, also offered a candid reflection on Labour's time in government, saying the party should've done more to bring the public along on key Māori policies.
He said that while he had advocated for a Māori Health Authority, Rurawhe said in hindsight that Labour had not convinced the broader electorate of the need for it.
"Unless people see themselves in the policy, they're not going to support it," he said.
If Labour were to pursue similar policies again, Rurawhe said the party would need to take a different approach, focusing on outcomes rather than structures.
"I think it is to concentrate less on the Māori Health Authority and focus more on achieving the outcomes that we want for Māori health," he said.
Rurawhe's departure alongside fellow Labour MP Peeni Henare means the party is losing two of its most experienced Maori MPs ahead of the election.
Asked whether there had been more to Henare's decision to leave than had been made public, the former speaker declined to speculate.
"Not that I'm aware of, but people have all sorts of different reasons for leaving."
For the full interview, watch the video above.
Q+A with Jack Tame is made with the support of New Zealand On Air
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