Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer refuses to back down on her party’s stance on the recent Waitangi Tribunal appointments, which she describes as a “whitewash” orchestrated by the Minister for Māori Development, Tama Potaka.
The comments were made during this year’s Rātana Pā celebrations, the first major political event of the year.
Reacting to the Minister’s appointments, Ngarewa-Packer says, “Look, Tama, it’s not only a whitewash; it’s a Caucasian wash.”
The newly appointed Waitangi Tribunal members include Philip Crump, a board member of NZ On Air; author Rex Edward Hale; councillor Grant Hadfield; former Minister of Defence Ron Mark; and former Labour Minister and ACT Party leader Richard Prebble.
Notably, several existing tribunal members were not reappointed, including Professor Rawinia Higgins, Professor Tom Roa, and Distinguished Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith.
Minister for Māori Development, Tama Potaka, defended his appointments.
“E toru, e whā pea ngā tāngata e tino mārama ana ki te ao Māori, ētahi kua mārena atu ki te Māori, pērā i a Richard Prebble, pērā i a Leilani-Tuall Warren, o rātou mā, o rāua mākā he Māori, me te mea nei, ko Tipene Crisp i whāngai atu i roto i te Wairarapa.”
Ngarewa-Packer responded sharply, urging Potaka to “wake up and smell the pōhutukawa.”
She said that replacing respected Māori experts with what she termed “relative novices” was particularly offensive.
“It’s insulting to te ao Māori to see three [high] calibre experts removed and replaced,” she stated.
She further criticised some appointees, claiming they had “no affinity with our tribunal and no relationships in protecting and holding the government to account.”
He tino tau tōrangapū e mahuta ake ana i te pae
As if 2024 wasn’t big enough for Māori, 2025 promises to be even more significant, with several pieces of legislation set to be voted on in parliament.
Ngarewa-Packer emphasised that her party is prepared for a busy year ahead.
“We’ve got the Māori wards referendum, and we’ve got the second reading of the [Treaty Principles] bill.”
“We’ve got, for goodness sake, David Seymour becoming the [Deputy] prime minister.”
Ko te kotahitanga o te ao Māori te kura huna mō Te Pāti Māori i tēnei tau tōrangapū
Ko te tau 2024 te mutunga kē mai nei o te hirahira mō Te Pāti Māori, koia tērā i noho ki te ihu o ngā kaupapa nui taioreore.
Mātua rā, ko te wero i te pire mātāpono o te Tiriti, nā David Seymour, kaiarahi o te rōpū ACT, i whakatakoto hei pānuitanga tuatahitanga mā ngā mema pāremata.
Hei tā Ngarewa-Packer, mā te kotahitanga o te ao Māori e rewa ake ai te manu o Te Pāti Māori ki te tūhoetanga o te rā.
“The layout of the land is there for all of us to see, but most importantly, the whāriki of our kotahitanga, the whāriki of us as Māori, being able to stand with it, is so much more powerful than their political agenda.”
