the disarray Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori<\/a> has found itself in, and Leoni is confident many of its supporters will turn to Labour. \u201cJust keep doing what you\u2019re doing, JT [John Tamihere, Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori president],\u201d she laughs. \u201cKeep going.\u201d<\/p>\nAsked what she thinks about the \u201cunapologetically M\u0101ori\u201d catchphrase used by Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori throughout the T\u0101maki Makaurau byelection, Leoni says she\u2019s not concerned about being labelled a \u201cP\u0101keh\u0101 M\u0101ori\u201d by Tamihere. When it comes to being a part of the well-established system of the Labour Party, Leoni says she won\u2019t be toeing the party line when it doesn\u2019t align with her values.<\/p>\n
\u201cI stood as an independent when I ran for mayor. I have shown that I can stand alone when required.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\")
Peeni Henare embraces Oriini Kaipara following his valedictory speech in parliament last month (Image: Parliament TV)<\/p>\n
Another source of confidence is the results of her mayoralty bid. Despite the significant loss, Leoni says many of her votes came from areas with a high density of M\u0101ori voters, such as Manurewa. She\u2019s confident this will translate to electorate votes come November. \u201cTe Tai Tokerau is won in West Auckland and T\u0101maki Makaurau is won in South Auckland,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
When it comes to policy, Leoni\u2019s focused on the party\u2019s priorities \u2013 jobs, housing and healthcare. Instead of benefit increases, she wants to see more M\u0101ori in employment. \u201cIf that means we have to provide grants so employers can give people a chance to work somewhere like this cafe \u2013 then I\u2019m all for it,\u201d she says. Trades training schemes are also a focus, and she would like to see an increase in support for night classes and those looking to change careers.<\/p>\n
Leoni says she is acutely aware of the growing influence of gangs and drug culture on rangatahi M\u0101ori in Auckland, and is an advocate for getting ex-gang members and career criminals to speak to the youth about the realities of gang life, encouraging them to seek a different path.<\/p>\n
When it comes to profile, former broadcaster Kaipara has a distinct advantage over Leoni, despite the mayoralty bid. But Leoni highlights her political experience as a clear point of difference between the two. She also argues she could achieve more meaningful change from within the Labour Party, as opposed to a minor party such as Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t actually think of one meaningful thing that Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori has done, either as a coalition partner or in opposition,\u201d Leoni says.<\/p>\n
For someone championing their political acumen and support for empowering w\u0101hine M\u0101ori, it\u2019s a bold claim \u2013 and one that overlooks the establishment of Wh\u0101nau Ora in 2010 by the late Tariana Turia, then Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori co-leader.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe set up the M\u0101ori Health Authority, although it\u2019s now been disestablished,\u201d Leoni says. \u201cTe P\u0101ti M\u0101ori might be talking about establishing a separate M\u0101ori parliament and other similar things, but we\u2019ve actually created quite radical change from within.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey need to stop selling false dreams and making empty promises to our people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kerrin Leoni wants to reclaim T\u0101maki Makaurau for Labour (Photo: Supplied)<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the potential to create meaningful change from within that Leoni claims truly sets her apart from Kaipara, and she alludes to a belief she may one day be a minister within a Labour government.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo offence to Oriini, but I doubt she would ever actually become a minister. If T\u0101maki Makaurau wants somebody who can truly make change from within \u2013 I\u2019m the person to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The bid to become the T\u0101maki Makaurau MP is Leoni\u2019s fifth campaign in the space of seven years. She says she\u2019s learned from her previous campaigns and a large cohort of her team from the mayoralty bid are supporting her in T\u0101maki Makaurau. Similarly to that campaign, Leoni is likely the underdog up against the incumbent Kaipara. However, she now has the backing of the Labour Party, which is desperate to win back the M\u0101ori seats.<\/p>\n
With Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori in a state of turmoil, Leoni sees herself as more than a placeholder candidate in the T\u0101maki Makaurau race, appearing to truly believe she has what it takes to reclaim the seat for the Labour Party.<\/p>\n
In many ways, the contest for T\u0101maki Makaurau is bigger than either Kerrin Leoni or Oriini Kaipara. It is a referendum on two competing ideas of M\u0101ori political power \u2013 whether it\u2019s best exercised from within the machinery of a major party, or asserted independently and unapologetically from the outside.<\/p>\n
Leoni is hoping voters will return to Labour\u2019s promise of influence, access and delivery. That change comes not from rhetoric, but from proximity to power. Kaipara and Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori offer something else entirely \u2013 politics less concerned with compromise, and more willing to redraw the terms of engagement altogether. For voters in T\u0101maki Makaurau \u2013 one of the country\u2019s most significant M\u0101ori population centres \u2013 the choice is not just about who represents them, but how they want to be represented.<\/p>\n
After a byelection shaped by strategy and circumstance, November\u2019s result will be something closer to a true test. Not just of Leoni\u2019s rise, or Kaipara\u2019s hold on the seat \u2013 but of where M\u0101ori political momentum now sits, and where it\u2019s heading next.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Labour\u2019s pick to reclaim the high-profile seat from Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori is making a case for power from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":367490,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[26380,112585,156,192744,6721,111,139,69,192745,135,55086,8027],"class_list":{"0":"post-367489","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-atea","9":"tag-election-2026","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-kerrin-leoni","12":"tag-labour","13":"tag-new-zealand","14":"tag-newzealand","15":"tag-nz","16":"tag-oriini-kaipara","17":"tag-politics","18":"tag-tamaki-makaurau","19":"tag-te-pati-maori"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=367489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367489\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/367490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=367489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=367489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=367489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}