Taranaki’s eight iwi have joined forces to boost enrolment and turnout in November’s election – with musician Stan Walker among those lending support.
A slick campaign video has been made for social media, with a focus on TikTok and Instagram, to encourage people to vote, especially rangatahi.
It’s been produced by Te Tōpuni Ngārahu, a regional body made up of the eight iwi around the Maunga.
The collective’s pou whakahaere, Wharehoka Wano, said iwi had called for a consistent campaign to promote enrolment and voting.
“It’s primarily about encouraging our people to vote, but we’re also encouraging them to think about the impacts [of politics] on us in a tribal sense.”
The campaign’s humorous video reimagines the kumara vine – the informal Māori social network – as a ‘landline’ used to spread the voting message.
It features faces known across the motu, including Stan Walker, Māori AI founder Dan Te Whenua Walker, comedian Joe Daymond, and lawyer Riana Te Ngahue.
Stan Walker said he’s already enrolled.
“For someone like me who is impatient, I have no time for anything, but it was easy.
“It takes five minutes to get on the roll, to have a say in society and contribute to the decision-making of our nation.”
But Te Tōpuni Ngārahu’s campaign also spotlights local media, sport and cultural influencers such as Taiaroa Neho, Che Tamati, Connor Macleod, Taiaroa Capper, Tamzyn Pue, Tapeka Ruakere-Papuni and Zhania Rio-King.
The social media push would be reinforced using iwi membership databases, education sessions on how to enrol, and by calling and texting uri.
On the ground, there would be door-to-door visits to whānau and vans on election day to get people to polling stations.
Wano said the shortfall of rangatahi voters was more than simply disengagement from politics.
“Statistically, we’re still hitting the high percentages in terms of unemployment, poverty and health and all those sorts of things.
“They’re not even conscious of what’s happening politically and how it impacts on our everyday lives.”
As an example, the Whanganui electorate area covers South Taranaki and, at the start of September, had just 52 per cent of 18- 24-year-old Māori registered on the general or Māori roll.
Ngāti Ruanui is promoting voting there, and its campaigning includes encouragement to change the Government.
Wano said Te Tōpuni Ngārahu would leave such political messages for each iwi to determine.
“Each of the iwi can give their flavour ... they have the mana to speak for themselves.
“We’ll all have our views on the current Government, and we’re not trying to influence that.
“But we’ll certainly encourage our whānau to think about how those in Government are supporting our aspirations [or not].”
It left Te Tōpuni Ngārahu with a clear task.
“We are encouraging our people and supporting our people in whatever way we can to enrol, to engage in what’s happening politically, and then vote.”
Almost three in 10 enrolled Māori didn’t vote at the 2023 general election.
Government law changes mean it is no longer possible to enrol on election day, or the two weeks before it.
The deadline for enrolment is October 25, and you can sign up on the Electoral Commission website.
Advance voting starts on October 26 ahead of election day on November 7.
LDR is local body journalism funded by RNZ and NZ on Air
