More than 42,000 Māori are currently enrolled on the general roll across the seven general seats within the Waiariki electorate, highlighting a significant presence of Māori voters choosing to participate in general electorates.
East Cape leads the region and country with more than 11,000 Māori enrolments, followed by Rotorua with more than 8,000, and Mt Maunganui with more than 5,000.
With enrolment closing at midnight tonight, more than 300,000 Māori are on the Māori roll and more than 250,000 are on the general roll, with final enrolment numbers still pending.
The general seats inside the Waiariki seat comprise Taupō, Rotorua, Tauranga, Mt Maunganui, East Cape, along with a small portion of Napier and a sliver of Coromandel.
Three candidates with Māori whakapapa are contesting general electorates within the Waiariki region, bringing their own experiences, connections and aspirations to the communities they hope to represent.
Billy Brown, standing for NZ First in Rotorua, has whakapapa to Moriori of Rēkohu. He believes Māori identity is defined by whakapapa, regardless of which electoral roll a person is enrolled on.
“My personal belief is that Māori seats limits our horizon,” Brown says.
He hopes to help restore prosperity to Rotorua, with more jobs and affordable essentials for local whānau.
Jordan Walker, the Green Party candidate for East Cape, affiliates to Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāi Te Rangi. His experiences growing up, including the loss of his brother to suicide, helped shape his commitment to addressing inequality.
“Our brother, who’s a year above me, took his own life as well when we were kids,” Walker says.
Those experiences strengthened his passion for finding solutions to inequities affecting whānau and communities. He says standing on the general roll also provides an opportunity to build trust with Māori who vote in general electorates.
Rhieve Grey, Labour’s candidate for Mt Maunganui, has whakapapa to Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Raukawa and Ngāti Porou. Raised with strong values of hard work, dedication and care for others, Grey says those lessons continue to guide his political aspirations.
“My mum is a teacher, my dad a carpet layer, we didn’t always have heaps but they always ensured that we had a household full of love, and a household that taught hard work and dedication,” Grey says.
Grey says conversations with locals have revealed a desire for change, particularly around the cost of living.
While the three candidates represent different parties and perspectives, each hopes to bring their whakapapa, lived experiences and commitment to their communities into the political landscape.