If Tāmaki Makaurau flips Labour in the upcoming by-election, Georgie Dansey, next on Labour’s party list, would enter Parliament as the party’s new wahine Māori MP.
Peeni Henare, currently a list MP, would vacate his list seat if he wins the electorate, clearing the way for Dansey, a unionist and descendant of Ngāti Tūwharetoa, to take his place.
“I’m a parent and I live in Kirikiriroa. I’ve got three kids there and I’m a unionist. I’ve been working in the movement for about 15 years now, and really, my mahi is activism for working people and their communities and to ensure that we are – people are being paid and have great conditions at their place of work.”
Dansey wasn’t raised Māori. It’s a side of her whakapapa she’s had to research and reconnect with, something she says is constantly strengthening.
“Mātauranga Māori is so important, and it’s such a taonga that we have, and ideally, we’d all be in that place. The rest of us, we’re on a journey, and I think that for me, that journey has been a long one.”
“My father, Michael Dansey, he left New Zealand when he was 3, and he didn’t return to New Zealand until he was 40. So the disconnect to my whakapapa was quite significant and it’s taking, it has taken many years of journey and will take many years in order to fully understand what it means to be tangata whenua.”
Whakapapa holds deep meaning for her. Her tupuna, Roger Ingram Dansey, fought with the Māori Contingent at Gallipoli during World War I. He also played for the Māori All Blacks.
“When I think about the mahi that he did in protecting his troops and protecting his people, it really resonates with me and what’s happening in Aotearoa right now.”
She also draws inspiration from another ancestor, Harry Dansey, who, according to Te Ara, was made an MBE for his services to journalism. The following year, he was appointed New Zealand’s second Race Relations Conciliator. In that role, he investigated complaints and worked to affirm and promote racial harmony and equality.
The front runners for the race are Peeni Henare for Labour and Oriini Kaipara for Te Pāti Māori.
Georgie is excited at the prospect of entering Parliament should Peeni win; however, she knows that the decision lies in the hands of voters from Tāmaki Makaurau.
