National Party candidate for Te Tai Hauāuru, Coral Raukawa, has officially cast her vote at St Andrew’s Church in Marton, Rangitīkei, marking a milestone in her campaign for central government.
Raukawa, who serves as a Rangitīkei Māori ward councillor, shared the moment alongside her whānau, emphasising the significance of multi-generational participation in the electoral process.
“It’s my first time as a central government candidate so yeah it was great but what was even better was to bring my daughter and her whanau as well,” Raukawa said. “Having my daughter here and having her whanau here as well this was her first time voting for central government, it was awesome to see democracy in action here and being able to see the next generation voting.”
Competing in New Zealand’s second-largest electorate – a rohe spanning a 1,600km campaign trail to reach approximately 40,000 voters on the Māori roll -Raukawa is contending against incumbent Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Labour candidate Te Puoho Katene.
With voting underway, Raukawa delivered a direct appeal to eligible voters across the region to make their voices heard.
“For those that believe that their vote doesn’t matter and it won’t make a difference, your vote will, and I ask wholeheartedly that all of you on the roll please come in and vote.”
Throughout her campaign, Raukawa has highlighted her intention to advocate for local communities inside government, framing the competitive contest in Te Tai Hauāuru as a positive outcome that leaves voters “spoilt for choice” at the ballot box.