National has confirmed its intention to run in some Māori electorates at this year’s elections, with Tāmaki Makaurau and Te Tai Hauāuru firmly in its sights. The strategy signals a continuation of their 2023 campaign, where the party broke a 20-year hiatus by standing Hinurewa Te Hau and Harete Hipango in those same seats.
Before the 2023 election, National hadn’t run candidates in Māori electorates since 2002, with candidates standing in five of the seven regions. In that campaign, Mita Harris contested Te Tai Tokerau, with George Ngatai standing in the Tāmaki Makaurau electorate, while Kevin J. Davies campaigned in Tainui. The lineup was rounded out by Alan Delamere in Ikaroa-Rāwhiti and Bill Karaitiana in Te Tai Tonga.
A National Party spokesperson confirmed their intention to contest the Māori electorates.
“It is the National Party’s intention to stand candidates in the Tāmaki Makaurau and Te Tai Hauāuru electorates,” the spokesperson said.
“As always, all candidate selections will be completed in line with the National Party’s Constitution and Rules. National is fixing the basics and building the future, ending wasteful spending, cutting taxes for low to middle-income Kiwis, and restoring law and order.
“By sticking to National’s plan, we can build a brighter future, and that is what we will be campaigning on up and down the country in the lead up to the 2026 election.”
National Māori MP, Tama Potaka, is looking forward to the contest for the Māori electorates at this year’s elections. Looking ahead to the upcoming political race, he expressed strong enthusiasm for the democratic process.
“Fantastic that many parties have put their hands up to stand a Māori candidate in the Māori electorates, and it’s quite a contest, and I’ll look forward to that contest come 7 November,” Potaka said.
While National campaigns on fixing the basics, building the future, cutting taxes, and restoring law and order, the greater concern for many Māori remains the party’s Te Tiriti o Waitangi policy.
National’s Māori Lineage: From Ngata to the Modern Caucus
The relationship between the National Party and the Māori electorates is historically complex. While the party has traditionally struggled to win electoral seats, it has consistently maintained a legacy of prominent Māori MPs within its ranks. This legacy extends right back to the foundational era of the party.
Sir Apirana Ngata, one of New Zealand’s greatest statesmen, aligned closely with National’s antecedents, running as a National-backed candidate in Eastern Māori during the 1930s and 1940s. Following in those footsteps was the iconic scholar Dr Pei Te Hurinui Jones, who proudly stood as a National candidate for Western Māori across multiple campaigns in 1957, 1960, and 1963.
Potaka highlighted these deep, foundational roots, saying,
“The Māori Party had a number of representatives in this house, and you have to go and walk down on the ground floor to see photos of people from National antecedents that contributed to the formation of the party, and we’ve also had a number of Māori candidates stand in recent times.
And, of course, very well-known people, for example, my wife’s great-grandfather Pei Te Hurinui Jones, who stood for the Māori electorates, at times.”
That political representation continued through subsequent decades as a steady stream of Māori MPs rose to senior positions within the party. Ben Couch broke ground as a Cabinet minister in the 1970s and 1980s, while Winston Peters and Tau Henare both held significant influence within the caucus before their eventual departures.
More recently, National’s front bench has regularly featured high-profile Māori voices, including former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett and long-serving Education Minister Hekia Parata.
In 2018, Simon Bridges made history when he was elected as the National Party’s first leader with Māori whakapapa.
That presence within the current parliamentary lineup is anchored by Whangārei MP Dr Shane Reti, who has held senior leadership roles, top-tier portfolios, and a brief stint as interim party leader. Reti recently announced he will retire from politics at the upcoming general election, capping a 12-year career in Parliament.
As Reti prepares to exit, a new generation of Māori political leadership is emerging within National’s contemporary caucus, led by Northcote MP Dan Bidois, Rangitata MP James Meager, and Maungakiekie MP Greg Fleming.
