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Summarised by Centrist
In the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election, although short on specifics, candidates rally around an anti-government message.
Whatanui Flavell, the son of Te Ururoa Flavell, an early Māori Party MP said he would vote for Oriini Kaipara, not because of her policies, but tactically.
Labour’s Peeni Henare, meanwhile, cast the race as a fight against “the enemy”, the coalition government.
Both candidates identified the cost of living as the number one issue amongst voters, but were short on specifics regarding solutions.
When it came time to explain why voters should back him, Henare had little to offer beyond claiming he had a “proud track record of delivering for whānau here in Tāmaki Makaurau. ” He didn’t say what that track record included. Meanwhile, Kaipara promised to “push boundaries.”
Despite claiming he was “purely focused on this government” and had not “spoken on this campaign about attacking Te Pāti Māori,” Henare launched a few broadsides at Kaipara.
He dismissed Te Pāti Māori’s promise to entrench the Treaty as political fantasy. “They have got five [seats] at the moment, they are a long way from getting another,” he said, pointing out that changing the Constitution would require 75 percent of MPs (90 votes in total). “What they’re doing is promising our people something that they have no plan to achieve.”
