Te Pāti Māori's Takutai Kemp

Earlier this month, the Electoral Commission released political parties’ annual financial statements, however, Te Pāti Māori had failed to release theirs.

Since failing to do so, the party has since been referred to the police over the matter, with updates from last week from the police saying they were continuing to assess the matter.

For our weekly catch up, News and Editorial Director, and Monday Wire Host, Joel, spoke to Te Pāti Māori’s Takutai Kemp about the party’s lack of a financial statement.

They also discussed Green Party MP, Teanau Tuiono’s Restoring Citizenship Removed by Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982 Bill passing its first reading with unanimous support from the select committee.

The bill would allow Samoans born between 1924 and 1948 to have reinstated New Zealand citizenship, following a 1982 ruling by the then National government that those born in the previously New Zealand-occupied territory of Western Samoa as non-New Zealand citizens.

Finally, they discussed  21 new te reo Māori names being allocated for sites around the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board area.

Last week was Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, New Zealand’s annual celebration of Te Reo Māori. 

This is the 49th year that Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori has been celebrated in Aotearoa, three years after the Maori language petition was delivered to Parliament in 1972.

For their weekly catch up with Te Pāti Māori’s Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, Oto spoke to her about the important of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori in platforming reo Māori.

He also spoke to her about gang patch legislation passing into law, and what the party’s thoughts are on this.

Finally, we discussed with her New Zealand supporting the UNGA resolution, calling for Israel to end its illegal occupation of Palestinian territory within 12 months.

On the 13th of August, Māori King, Kīngi Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII, who had reigned as Māori King since 2006, passed away, being laid to rest on the summit of Taupiri Maunga.

Various political party members from across the political spectrum attended the tangihanga of Kīngi Tūheitia, alongside thousands of others attendees at Tūrangawaewae marae in Ngāruawahia.

For their weekly catch up, News and Editorial Director, Joel, spoke to Te Pāti Māori’s Mariameno Kapa-Kingi about Kīngi Tūheitia’s passing, and the legacy he has left.

They also touched on Kaipara Mayor, Craig Jepson, denying a request for a minute’s silence at a meeting for Kīngi Tūheitia’s passing.

Finally, they spoke to her about the crowning of Kuīni Ngā Wai hono i te pō as the new Māori monarch; the youngest daughter of Kīngi Tūheitia, at the tangi.

For our weekly catch up with Te Pāti Māori, Joel spoke with Mariameno Kapa-Kingi about the Waitangi Tribunal’s interim report on the Treaty Principles Bill, and the reports calls to cut the bill.

They also spoke to her about the development of a cultural space, which has the same attributes of a marae, in Sydney, Australia, which has faced backlash by the indigenous Australian group, Dharug Ngurra, over concerns the space has not received adequate consent to be built on native land.