Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori may be headed back to the privileges committee<\/a> if Brownlee decides the party knew about a planned haka in the public gallery \u2013 and the fact that Kaipara\u2019s speech went over time after it was allowed an earlier slot in the House proceedings won\u2019t be making the speaker feel very forgiving. It\u2019s a lot of heat for Kaipara to take in her first week on the job, and a former broadcaster would be all too aware of the pressure of sticking to a time limit. Claims from Brownlee about the need to respect the tikanga of parliament ring true, but it also proves the need for parliament to assess why its tikanga is so incompatible with that of tangata whenua.<\/p>\n Downstairs, in parliament\u2019s grand hall, Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori continued its victory run with platters of burgers and fried chicken for members, a slick video encouraging \u201cbelieve in you, believe in me, believe in M\u0101ori\u201d and a united front with all its MPs present. The reset, which had spurred rumours of role changes, turned out to be just a vision for the year ahead: policies to be announced in full in the coming week which will cover wealth distribution by putting Aotearoa\u2019s 2% \u201con notice\u201d; investment in M\u0101ori services and workforce pathways; wh\u0101nau-first approaches to social development and M\u0101ori-led initiatives to support the environment.<\/p>\n But scattered throughout co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer\u2019s speeches were apologies which didn\u2019t quite say sorry (there was \u201cwe\u2019ve heard you\u201d instead) and small admissions providing peaks behind the curtain. Comments made by MP T\u0101kuta Ferris referring to Labour Party volunteers as \u201cIndians, Asians, Black and Pakeha campaigning to take a M\u0101ori seat from M\u0101ori\u201d (which have already earned an apology to the Labour Party, despite Ferris doubling-down), an alleged culture of toxicity<\/a> within Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori\u2019s operations and explanations for a missed AGM would have been important to address directly so supporters knew what the party \u201cwill try harder\u201d on. Instead the speeches were vague and broad.<\/p>\n Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori is truly parliament\u2019s tiniest operation, formed by many hands and whanaunga who wear multiple p\u014dtae in other leadership roles outside the party, and who have at times worked without pay to support the party\u2019s success. Speaking to reporters after her speech, Ngarewa-Packer admitted the death of MP Takutai Tarsh-Kemp<\/a> had meant the party had lost its \u201cpeacekeeper\u201d, faced \u201cgrowing pains\u201d and now has a new dynamic to navigate.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a long road for the party since co-leaders Waititi and Ngarewa-Packer first arrived in parliament in 2020, both faithfully staying the course of being disruptors to the system. Eru Kapa-Kingi \u2013 son of MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and face of the Toit\u016b Te Tiriti movement, which recently distanced itself from Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori \u2013 has said the party should stick to politics, while the activists do the groundwork in communities. That unsolicited advice seems to have been echoed by many of the party\u2019s supporters. In the end, it may prove more productive for Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori to work with the system instead of against it.\u00a0<\/p>\n Another 21-day suspension (as was the punishment dished out over the Treaty principles bill haka) from parliament will mean the voices elected to represent M\u0101ori will be missing yet again, and Kaipara\u2019s maiden speech has undoubtedly already widened the chasm between the speaker and the party. There\u2019s also the problem of the party\u2019s relationship with the fourth estate, which Waititi heavily criticised during general debate in the House on Wednesday, with the message that \u201cwe are not afraid of scrutiny, we welcome truth, but what we reject completely is the colonial gaze that turns M\u0101ori excellence into suspicion\u201d.<\/p>\n If there was supposed to be a reset as to the party\u2019s relationship with the media, it wasn\u2019t to last. An impromptu press conference following the party\u2019s reset announcement only lasted three minutes and 45 seconds after 1News political editor Maiki Sherman dared to ask for the party\u2019s response to allegations of having a dictatorship model at the leadership. \u201cYou fellas can thank Maiki for that,\u201d Waititi told reporters as he dragged Ngarewa-Packer away from the microphones. Punishing journalists for asking hard (and relevant) questions doesn\u2019t translate to being unafraid of scrutiny.<\/p>\nTe P\u0101ti M\u0101ori and its members gathered in parliament\u2019s grand hall following Oriini Kaipara\u2019s maiden speech.<\/p>\n
Te P\u0101ti M\u0101ori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi only took three questions about their reset.<\/p>\n
Ngarewa-Packer and Waititi sat with party president John Tamihere for the reset.<\/p>\n