Summarised by Centrist
Labour’s Willie Jackson accused Herald NOW host Ryan Bridge of “trying to write off all Māori” during a heated on-air exchange about the growing unrest inside Te Pāti Māori.
Jackson’s outburst came after Bridge suggested co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer had “lost control of their caucus,” given the party’s string of internal meltdowns.
Jackson lashed out at Bridge instead of addressing the chaos. “Don’t be disgraceful… That’s really offensive,” Bridge replied, cutting him off.
The uproar followed news that Toitū Te Tiriti, a company closely intertwined with Te Pāti Māori, had “cut ties” over leadership concerns. Its spokesperson, Eru Kapa-Kingi, a former Te Pāti Māori vice-president, accused the party of running a “dictatorship model” and failing to follow its own constitution. He said the movement was meant to be “for everyone,” not a political lobby group.
The party insists the accusations are “misleading and inaccurate,” claiming it remains transparent and united. Still, even Labour’s Jackson admitted it was “big” and that Kapa-Kingi is “a very significant leader within the Te Ao Māori movement.”
Editor’s note: Despite headlines describing a “split,” there is no concrete evidence of any formal break between Toitū Te Tiriti and Te Pāti Māori beyond statements made by Eru Kapa-Kingi.
His mother, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, remains a Te Pāti Māori MP, though she was demoted from her whip position following MP Tākuta Ferris’s racist comments, which she appeared to support at the time. That demotion would have cost her just over $20,000 a year in additional salary.
Company records also show Kiri Tamihere, daughter of party president John Tamihere, remains the director and sole shareholder of Toitū Te Tiriti Ltd, with the organisation’s registered office still listed under her name.
Eru Kapa-Kingi has ruled out forming a rival political party, reinforcing the view that the so-called “split” is largely superficial.
With Te Pāti Māori now promising a “reset” next week, the episode looks more like stage-managed theatre than genuine division.
Read more over at RNZ and The NZ Herald
