Green Party candidate for Waiariki, Tania Waikato has cast her vote in Mount Maunganui, reaffirming her commitment to fighting for Māori communities and addressing the cost-of-living crisis.

Waikato explaimed her priorities remained fighting for te reo Māori, tino rangatiratanga and the needs of whānau across the electorate.

“What I will deliver as the electorate MP for Waiariki is exactly what I’ve delivered over the last three years, which is to fight for our people, to fight for our reo, and to fight for tino rangatiratanga,” she said.

Cost-of-living pressures, including kai, housing and employment, were among the biggest concerns raised by communities throughout the electorate directly to Waikato.

“It’s the cost of living, and the cost of living, and the cost of living. Our people are doing it so hard out there,” she said.

Through Te Pāti Kākāriki, Waikato said she would advocate for targeted policies to ease these pressures and address what the party describes as a “cost-of-greed” crisis.

One key policy Waikato intends to champion is Hāpai Hapori, a proposed $2 billion perpetual trust designed to provide long-term funding for marae and hapū.

The initiative would distribute about $100 million annually, giving communities greater control over funding and reducing reliance on short-term government contracts.

Waikato said the policy represented a shift towards supporting the organisations that formed the backbone of Māori communities.

Reflecting on her work over the past three years, the candidate said she had balanced her political responsibilities alongside full-time employment and motherhood.

“If this becomes my full-time job, it will basically just multiply that 10 times over,” she said.

“I will continue to show up for my people. I will continue to show up Waiariki.”

The candidate chose to vote on the anniversary of He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Niu Tireni, the 1835 Declaration of Independence, saying the date held personal significance.

Waikato encouraged voters to participate in the election and check advance voting locations through vote.nz.