The Tainui Princess, Nanaia?Mahuta is in a spot of bother after 21 years in parliament doing not much at all.
There have been strong words from King Tuheitia as he endorses tribal leader Rahui Papa, the M?ori Party’s expected candidate for the Hauraki-Waikato electorate.
“I challenge every one of us…Find the right place for your skills and move out of the way for the people that can truly lead us”, King Tuheitia said at Parawera Marae, south of Hamilton on Thursday afternoon where local celebrations are being held in honour of the M?ori King.
“We all deserve no less than the best leadership on offer.
“She’s going right back to the backbench now. To me, she’s got no mana in there now,” King Tuheitia said of Labour MP Nanaia Mahuta’s demotion in the party.
After more than 20 years of supporting Ms Mahuta as their electorate MP, voters in Hauraki-Waikato have a major decision ahead of them.
That is big news. No endorsement from the Kingitanga movement in Waikato means big problems.
Rahui Papa has for many years been a key figure within King Tuheitia’s inner circle. He is currently the chairman of Te Arataura the tribal executive of Waikato-Tainui.
Mr Papa is set to challenge Ms Mahuta for the seat. It will be the closest race the electorate has seen in decades.
Nanaia Mahuta has maintained a strong majority of the vote for over 20 years. She is the daughter of the late Sir Robert Mahuta, brother to the late M?ori Queen Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu.
And while Mr Papa does not have equally as strong whakapapa, his own tribal leadership record and endorsement by King Tuheitia make him a serious contender.
The move is a major power play for the M?ori seats led by M?ori Party chairman Tukoroirangi Morgan, another of the M?ori King’s closest advisors.
Mahuta has a big, big problem. At current polling levels Labour would get no list places. If voters in Hauraki-Waikato follow the wishes of the King then she is stuffed and out of parliament.
This also has the potential to wreck Labour’s grand plans to win every Maori seat.
Word is inside Labour is that she is stuffed and that?Rahui Papa is well respected and likely to win.
– Newshub
As much at home writing editorials as being the subject of them, Cam has won awards, including the Canon Media Award for his work on the Len Brown/Bevan Chuang story. When he’s not creating the news, he tends to be in it, with protagonists using the courts, media and social media to deliver financial as well as death threats.
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