Following her landmark win in the Tāmaki Makaurau by election against former Labour MP Peeni Henare, Oriini Kaipara says she remains focused on the issues affecting whānau across her electorate and the country, despite the challenges facing her party.
“He waimarie ahau, e whai kāinga ana ahau, e hauora ana aku tamariki, e ora katoa ana taku mokopuna, ka aroha tonu te mātotoru o o te iwi Māori o Aotearoa whānui, kāore i te waimarie kia whiwhi kāinga, kia whiwhi kai, kia whiwhi āhei ngā rānei kia angi tū ai rātou koirā te take i haere mai ai ahau ki te āwhina i ngā whānau,” she said.
Kaipara has now been an MP for more than 180 days and says the role has proven demanding.
“Hāunga te rā, hāunga te hāora he nui ngā mahi a te mema pāremata, koirā pea te mea e pūkana mai ana ki a au, he rongo ahau i ngā i te pokea rawatia o te... o te mema pāremata i ēnei tau nei i raro hoki i te rīma tau ārai o tēnei kāwanatanga me āna tūkinohanga huhua.”
This week, the High Court ruled that MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi’s expulsion from Te Pāti Māori was unlawful. Despite the turmoil, Kaipara says she remains committed to the kaupapa that brought her into Parliament.
“E manawa pā, e manawahi ki ngā kūrakuraku kua pihi ake nōku ka kuhu mai, i kuhu mai i runga i te whakapono nē ko Te Pāti Māori te waka kawe i ngā moemoeā, kawe hoki i te motuhenga o tāua te Māori ki tēnei whare, ā, puta noa i te ao.”
“Ko te mātotorutanga o te iwi Māori kei waho rā e tatari ana kia whakatikangia tō mātou waka e mātou, ngā mea kua tohungia e koutou.”
As political parties weigh who they may put forward to contest the Tāmaki Makaurau seat at the election, Oriini Kaipara says the role demands resilience and commitment.
“He tino tangata te hunga ka whakapono ki a rātou anō, engari ka tū mai hei māngai i ō rātou rohe.”
