The Whāingaroa hall was packed with local residents listening to the pitches and key policies of Hauraki-Waikato Māori candidates and Taranaki-King Country General candidates.
Labour candidate for Hauraki-Waikato, Kingi Kiriona addressed pressing economic concerns.
“We’re in a cost of living crisis and so the very issue that Labour is campaigning on going into this election is how we manage that cost of living crisis and one of the main three priorities that we’re focusing on is the overarching theme if you like, is employment,” Kiriona says.
Bringing his key focuses of Oranga Whānau and Oranga Tiriti to the meeting, Kiriona emphasised the need to repair Crown-iwi relations.
“Te Tiriti, a concentrated focus on restoring, repairing actually the relationship between iwi and the Crown. I mean there was talk about the erosion of that relationship. I don’t think we’ve seen a Government as divisive as this current Government in many generations,” according to Kiriona.
Te Pāti Māori candidate Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke focused on unity and representation.
“When we look at the Treaty Principles Bill and the Regulatory Standards Bill, we have to remember that only six to eight percent of the country actually supported that bill. The Tiriti o Waitangi actually unites our country,” says Maipi-Clarke.
She also highlighted Māori education funding and the needs for rangatahi.
“Māori education is a huge passion of mine and so is Uncle Kingis as well in terms of making sure that there is funding going towards our education because there’s only ever been funding one percent to Māori education no matter who is in power,” according to Maipi-Clarke.
Both Hauraki-Waikato candidates were given one minute to pitch to Whāingaroa locals on why Māori roll voters should vote for them.
“I’m running because I believe that the rohe deserves someone that’s visible on the ground, that has a track record of service to iwi and their whānau, someone that’s unafraid to speak up, audacious enough to dream but also do and someone for whom people sit at the heart of everything that they do,” Kiriona said.
“I’m only asking for a candidate vote this election, we don’t want your party vote. It’s about making sure that we can get into Parliament and although the significant stuff that we’ve seen from just this Parliament system, I’m really excited for the future and where can go for Aotearoa,” Maipi-Clarke says.