Whānau and locals of Pare Hauraki gathered at the Thames War Memorial Civic Centre today to meet Hauraki-Waikato candidates, Kingi Kiriona (Labour) and Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke (Te Pāti Māori).
The forum session gave both candidates the opportunity to discuss issues affecting the health and wellbeing of communities within the Hauraki-Waikato electorate with whānau and locals while also providing balanced and informative discussions.
Many key issues surfaced at the forum, one in particular being the realities for rangatahi within this electorate at this time.
Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke highlighted 40% of rangatahi within Hauraki-Waikato were moving to Australia due to the cost of living, noting the hardships of getting rangatahi into school, work, trades and career pathways while also dealing with transportation issues.
Kingi Kiriona emphasised on the Labour party’s recent policy announcement on reintroducing Māori Trades Training, a 21 million dollar investment with 3,000 spots, giving rangatahi the opportunity to earn while they learn.
Te tūtatakinga ki ngā whānau o Pare Hauraki
Karahuihui ai ngā whānau me ngā kainoho o Pare Hauraki ki Te Kauaeranga ki te tūtaki ki ngā kaitono tokorua mō Hauraki-Waikato, ki a Kingi Kiriona (Reipa) me Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke (Te Pāti Māori).
“I rawe. Tēnei taha o te whenua, e rere ana te kōrero ki konei, koinei te pito o te ao. Inā tae mai te tangata ki konei, ka mārama ia ki te tikanga o te kōrero rā. He whenua ātaahua, he wairua ātaahua, he tangata ātaahua. Nō rātou tonu te reo pōwhiri kia tae mai ai māua ki konei. Anei kua tae mai,” hei tā Kiriona.
I whakawhārikihia e rāua i ō rāua whakaaro ki ngā take nunui o te wā e hāngai pū ana ki te hauora me te oranga o ngā hapori i roto i te rohe pōti Māori nei me te tuku o ngā kōrero hei whakamōhio he aha te aha ki ngā kaipōti o te rohe.
“I rawe tō māua kōrero i te rangi nei me te mea anō hoki, i tīmata tēnei o ngā terenga mō te tau pōti 2026 ki Mātai Whetū marae atu i Hauraki. Koinei tā māua kaupapa kōrero whakamutunga. Nō reira, e noho whakaiti ana. Waihoki, e noho hīkaka ana ki ngā mahi puta noa o Hauraki-Waikato,” hei tā Maipi-Clarke.
Ko te āki nui a ngā kaitono tokorua kia rēhita te marea ki te pōti i mua i te rā aukati hei te 25 o Oketopa.
