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Summarised by Centrist
Te Pāti Māori’s internal meltdown is widening, with co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer now openly considering expelling two of their MPs, a move that could trigger twin byelections under the waka-jumping law.
Waititi confirmed the party’s national council is weighing whether to remove Te Tai Tokerau MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and Te Tai Tonga MP Tākuta Ferris after weeks of public criticism and factional infighting. He backed party president John Tamihere’s post, accusing the pair of “greed, avarice and entitlement” and dismissing allegations of a dictatorial leadership style as baseless.
The standoff has become so serious that the National Iwi Chairs Forum, an influential body of Māori leaders, has taken the rare step of intervening to mediate between the warring sides. Both co-leaders welcomed the move, admitting the crisis has been “disruptive” and has dominated headlines “for the reasons we don’t want to.”
Behind the scenes, tensions escalated when the party circulated internal documents to members, accusing Eru Kapa-Kingi, Mariameno’s son and former vice-president, of assaulting parliamentary security staff and claiming the MP overspent her parliamentary budget. Both have denied wrongdoing, but Waititi defended releasing the information, saying members “deserved transparency.”
If expulsions proceed, Kapa-Kingi and Ferris could stay on as independents unless the party invokes waka-jumping provisions, a move Labour says it is prepared to contest in fresh byelections.
