As Election Day looms, candidates for the Te Tai Hauāuru electorate are bringing their campaigns directly to the communities they hope to represent.
In Tokoroa, the northernmost boundary of the vast electorate, incumbent MP Debbie Ngarewa-Packer of Te Pāti Māori connected with local supporters on the ground.
Reflecting on her return to the town, Ngarewa-Packer shared her affection for the community: “First of all because we love the whānau here, they’re really supportive, not only online but you know behind the scenes and we haven’t been here since May.”
She highlighted the importance of acknowledging the local land and people, drawing parallels between Tokoroa and her home region: “It’s just about coming here to acknowledge our whānau, acknowledge the whenua, the mana whenua and I’ve just always loved here. It’s very like Pātea, very like Te Hāwera aye?”
“I’m just really humbled. I mean you know this is the same grassroots community that helped bring us back in 2020 when we really didn’t know if we were going to get the party back and so you never forget that. You know, you’ve been in the house and you get all this sort of kudos and clout but you never forget the whānau that were here and believed in you like our matua, our kuia, our rangatahi.”
“The thing is that you got to make sure that you have those on the ground who tell you what’s happening, not just within the iwi and the hapū but those of our rangatahi mā, those of our mahi, those who are in pakihi and it’s actually about knowing that you are accessible, that they can contact you any time and you’re there to help and advocate for them.”
Te Rōpū Reipa me ngā Take Nunui i Tokoroa
Kua takahia hoki e te kaitono mō te Rōpū Reipa, a Te Puoho Katene, i ngā tiriti o Tokoroa ki te kōrerorero ki ngā kaipōti mō ngā take e pēhi ana i te hapori. Nō Porirua ia, engari kua tae mai ki te pito raki nei ki te whakawhiti kōrero ki te iwi.
I whakamārama mai a Te Puoho i tōna take e whawhai nei ia mā te hapori: “Mō te roanga o taku oranga, kua noho ahau kei roto i te hapori, kia whakanui, kia whakamana ai te hauora me te haumaru o te noho o ngā hapori katoa, ki roto i ngā iwi, kei roto i te ao Māori whānui.”
I whakanuia e ia te mana motuhake o te hapori hei aronga matua: “Ki ahau nei, ko te mea nui ko te mana motuhake o te iwi, o te hapū, o te whānau. Kua kitea kētia e mātou te mahi kikino o tēnei Kāwanatanga hei tūraki i tērā āhuatanga kei roto i ngā hapori. Nō reira, kua tohe ahau. Ko te whakatū o taku ringa, he tohe o tērā mahi kikino, tērā mahi nanakia kei roto i te Whare Pāremata.”
Mō te taha ki ngā momo pēhitanga ōhanga e whai paanga ana ki ngā whānau, i kī ia: “Ko te mea nui, kāore e kore ko te utu o te ora me kī, arā, ko te nui o te utu mō te penehīni, mō te kai, mō te haere ki hohipera, ki te tākuta. Ēnei mea katoa me te kore whai tūranga mō te rangatahi, mō ngā tāngata katoa. He uaua, he taumaha tonu ngā pēhitanga o te wā kei roto i te mahi ōhanga, kei roto i te mahi pakihi.”
I mutu ana kōrero ki te hiranga o te kanohi kitea: “Ko te mea nui ki a tātou te iwi Māori, ko te kanohi kitea, ko te taringa areare. Tērā taku tino moemoeā, ko te haere ā tinana mai kei roto i ngā hapori, kia āta mōhio ko wai tēnei e whakatū ringa nei, he aha ngā wāriu me ngā whaiaro e noho tonu ana kei roto i ahau hei toro atu mō tēnei kaupapa nui.”