Hauraki-Waikato: Meet the two candidates going head-to-head for the seat

In the latest of its debates between candidates in the Māori seats, TVNZ’s Marae speaks to two hopefuls vying for the Hauraki-Waikato electorate – incumbent MP Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke of Te Pāti Māori, and newcomer Kingi Kiriona of the Labour Party.

Watch Marae's full debate and analysis on TVNZ+.

The electorate encompasses Papakura and Pukekohe in Auckland, across the Hauraki Gulf to the Coromandel Peninsula, and extending south to Waihi Beach, Matamata, and across back west to Te Awamutu and Kawhia.

In 2023, Maipi-Clarke made headlines when she unseated Labour’s Nanaia Mahuta to become the youngest MP New Zealand had seen in 170 years. She received 12,939 votes to Mahuta’s 10,028.

She is joined by Kiriona on TVNZ's Marae to debate some of the issues important to their constituents.

The cost of living was identified by the two candidates as being a key priority issue in Hauraki-Waikato.

Maipi-Clarke said she has come across whānau who don’t know where their next meal will come from. She said it wasn’t about “left versus the right” anymore, but “the top and the bottom”.

“At that top is the top 2% of the wealthiest people in the country who are getting away with paying around 9% in tax while the rest of us are paying 23- to 33% in tax.”

Kiriona said his campaign is focused on two priority issues, one being oranga whānau (whānau wellbeing).

“Whānau are struggling. They're struggling to find mahi, they're struggling to pay the bills, struggling to put kai on the table. As an employer myself supporting whānau to succeed, and in the least, manage the cost of living – that matters, not only to me but also to the whānau living in Hauraki-Waikato.”

Te Pāti Māori is campaigning on a ‘one tick’ split vote strategy, urging Māori voters to give their electorate vote to a Te Pāti Māori candidate, and the party vote to a left-bloc party.

The strategy is seen as a win-win by proponents, especially in the Hauraki-Waikato electorate where both Maipi-Clarke and Kiriona, who sits at 22 on the party list, could potentially make it into Parliament – an outcome Tukoroirangi Morgan mentioned in his whaikōrero at Koroneihana in August.

Kiriona said that while he took heart in Morgan’s “open endorsement” of both candidates, he believes whānau deserve options.

“When I put my hand up to run in this election, it was to be more than a number on a party's list. I put my hand up for a mandate from the people to be their voice, to be their elected representative in the house of parliament. And what's wrong with giving whānau options?”

He said to deprive whānau of options is an indictment on any election and it was up to people to decide what was best for them.

Maipi-Clarke said she would “love” for both of them to get in.

“I'm not here to debate Kingi, it's about what negotiations can look like come 2027 at the Cabinet table, and there's a way where we can both get in in the spirit of Kingi Tuheitia's kōrero, ko ōna ōhākī i roto i ōna mahi, i roto i te kotahitanga (his legacy being kotahitanga-unity).”

The two candidates, who have the backing of Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po to run for the electorate seat, were asked about the relationship between the Kiingitanga and the Hauraki-Waikato MP.

Both Maipi-Clarke and Kiriona have strong links to the Kiingitanga with Kiriona saying he would not even consider standing had it not been for Te Arikinui’s blessing.

In a unique situation, the Kiingitanga is seen as a majority stakeholder as the electorate encompasses much of its territory, but there are multiple iwi and Māori interests outside of the Waikato Tainui influence, including twelve iwi in Hauraki alone.

So how will they manage the competing interests of those who may not align with Kiingitanga?

Kiriona, who grew up in Dannevirke, a small town that sits between the Manawatū and Hawke's Bay regions, said during his upbringing the Kiingitanga was not often spoken about, but having lived in Waikato for nearly 30 years it has become life.

“It is life and I respect that there are some quarters of the rohe, and indeed of the motu, that may not be engaged in the Kiingitanga – that's kei te pai. But what we're talking about is Māori representation in its broadest.

“What's important at the moment is that we're at the table. Any infrastructure project, any development that concerns our whenua, our moana, our awa, we at least need to be at the table.”

Maipi-Clarke said she spent the last two and a half years travelling the electorate, including Hauraki, and have advocated for their interests in Parliament, particularly on fast-track projects within the region.

“There are five that are very detrimental to our pepeha, to our taiao, and I have, on record, on the Hansard questioning Minister Shane Jones, and also raising with Minister Bishop, around holding them to account – that they have to talk and negotiate and consult with mana whenua.”

There are significant interests in the land and water of this electorate. The Hauraki Plains are vulnerable to flooding and water management, and protection is critical for its farmlands, towns and communities.

The Waikato River is a main artery in the region, and its waterways are important to the region’s economy and cultural identity.

In one of the government’s final actions, the Plan Change 1 (PC1), a set of farming regulations that aimed at restoring the health of the river, was deferred to 2032 to align with expected major changes to the Resource Management Act.

Maipi-Clarke said the river’s health is dire and she refuses to accept the outcome.

“You know the saying goes, ‘he piko he taniwha’… at every bend there's a chief. For us, at every bend there's a corporation, an industry, and heavy polluting going into our awa.”

She said their party was not against economic development but that it is about finding the right balance.

Tikapa Moana (Hauraki Gulf) is home to several marine reserves and tied to fisheries and aquaculture.

Kiriona pointed out the previous Labour-led government introduced the Hauraki Gulf Tikapa Moana Marine Protection Bill, but the coalition government had “flipped on its head” introducing amendments to allow for limited commercial ring-net fishing in two of the 12 high protection areas identified in the bill.

“Labour is all about sustainable aquaculture and restoration. There is no mahi if there is no life in the moana. We want to rebuild wild mussel in Hauraki, we want to rejuvenate the oyster beds. We see that happening through the likes of the New Zealand Future Fund that we've been campaigning on, but also through our small business action plan to create a more sustainable aquaculture industry that will drive jobs in the region, boost the economy but without compromising on the environment.”

Their bottom-line priorities?

Maipi-Clarke acknowledged the entrenchment of Te Tiriti but landed on a fairer tax system.

“We could have free healthcare, free education, free transport for our rangatahi. You would get $4300 more in your back pocket under Te Pati Māori tax policy,” she said.

“The bottom line is the people,” said Kiriona. “It's important to care for people by trying to manage a cost-of-living crisis that this government promised to fix and has only made worse.”

He added the reinstatement of Te Tiriti o Waitangi within the education system is a priority to realise more equitable outcomes for Māori and to get the country “back on track” with protecting and promoting te reo Māori.