This article was first published on The NZ Herald.
By Julia Gabel of The NZ Herald.
Former Te Pāti Māori lawyer and prominent Treaty activist Tania Waikato will stand as a candidate for the Green Party in next year’s general election.
Waikato, a seasoned litigator and familiar face for many after her year of protesting several Government policies, is yet to say which electorate she will contest.
She says this will be announced in February, but her decision to go with the Greens over Te Pāti Māori was led by her love for the environment.
“I love all my friends and colleagues in Te Pāti Māori, and I have spent time with them throughout the year,” she told the Herald.
“What’s happened basically since I left that situation, it’s been really sad for me to watch from the sidelines.”
Waikato and former National MP Christopher Finlayson, KC, were set to represent three Te Pāti Māori MPs who were summoned to Parliament’s powerful privileges committee after they performed a haka in the house after the first reading of the controversial Treaty Principles Bill.
When two of those MPs, Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi, received the harshest suspension in parliamentary history (21 days), Waikato said it was “one of the darkest days for our Parliament and for our democracy”.
But outside Parliament, many loved the haka. It reverberated around the world on social media and was covered by several international media outlets.
Since the highs of that moment, Te Pāti Māori has faced much turmoil. The party’s leaders have been accused of running a“dictatorship model” by a once close party ally (a charge they reject, saying no such evidence was presented) and two MPs were expelled for “serious breaches” of the party constitution (although a judge party membership of one of those MPs, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi).
“[I was] watching people that I actually care about personally end up in this situation, which is very sad and very difficult for all of them involved. I acknowledge that all of them have suffered throughout what has happened,” Waikato said.
“For me, it is about: Where does my wairua [spirit] sit? Where do my personal values in terms of the things that are priorities for me sit? Where do I feel most aligned? For me, that was the Greens.”
You might recognise Waikato’s face from her social media commentary (she has 22,600 followers on Instagram) and roles in several anti-Government protests. This includes opposition to what she called the “racist, divisive” Treaty Principles Bill and the Regulatory Standards Bill, a “cowardly, covert attack on Te Tiriti”.
(Act leader David Seymour, who was responsible for both bills, has consistently rejected such criticism of his policies).
During her submission against the Regulatory Standards Bill, Waikato told the select committee she required a security escort to Parliament that day after her address was shared online.
She is bracing for the impact should she make it into Parliament. After spending a “heck of a year” protesting on the streets, she says, “the need is simply too great to continue to just advocate from the sidelines.”
“I really did struggle in terms of making this decision because I know how hard it is going to be, I know how much it is going to take a toll on my whānau in terms of criticism and all the rest of it that will come with the campaign,” she said.
“But, the flip side of that is having all of these wonderful people say we believe in you, we support you, and we need you to do this for us.”
Waikato grew up in the small Bay of Plenty town of Te Teko, near the Rangitāiki River. She holds a Master of Laws with First Class Honours from the University of Auckland. She is Ngāti Awa, Tūhoe, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Hine and Whakatōhea.
Waikato says that sometimes she feels as though she is perceived “in a box”, limited to her most public-facing work advocating for Māori constitutional rights against government policies. But her passion for the environment and climate change is just as strong.
She has never had political aspirations, but says she’s been asked several times to enter local politics, particularly after her three years of pro bono litigation work to increase Rangitāiki River protections. She is one of the inaugural trustees of the Rangitāiki River Environmental Fund Trust, which has Fonterra and Trust Power as partners.
“We have provided grants and award-winning environmental wetland projects and all kinds of marae upgrades,” she said.
“It was the Pākehā farmers that were the first to ask me to stand for local council because we saved their irrigation intakes.”
Waikato’s 2026 campaign will focus on three key priorities:
1. Reducing poverty and tackling the cost-of-living crisis
Waikato says she will campaign on:
- Tackling energy and food costs through regulatory intervention “to stop corporate greed”;
- Free or low-cost access to essential services, including healthcare, dental, prescriptions, and public transport;
- A living wage that reflects the true cost of living in Aotearoa;
- Strengthening income support to ensure that no one lives below the poverty line.
2. Boosting the economy and creating jobs through turbo-charging the Māori economy
- Forming bold, job-creating partnerships with Iwi and Māori-led enterprises to kick start large renewable energy projects, revive the housing and construction industry, and open up innovative land development opportunities.
- Support for rangatahi employment, trades training, and green jobs.
- Strengthening regional economies through iwi and Māori entity partnerships, focusing on sustainable development of local businesses and local resources.
3. Honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi
- Seeking the repeal of legislation, including the Regulatory Standards Bill, the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act (MACA) amendments, and the Education and Training Act changes that undermine Te Tiriti and Māori interests.
- Proper resourcing of kaupapa Māori services across health, housing, education, and justice, including the re-establishment of Te Aka Whaiora – the Māori Health Authority.
- Implementing constitutional reform to protect Te Tiriti o Waitangi from ongoing attacks.
Waikato will announce which electorate she will contest in February next year. She will also seek a place on the Green Party list.
“My campaign will be about people who feel locked out of power reclaiming their voice,” she said.
“The 2026 election is our chance to build a more harmonious and just society where people can afford to feed their whānau, find good jobs in an economy that works for everyone and live in a country that finally honours its founding promise.”
Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter. She joined the Herald in 2020 and has most recently focused on data journalism.