More than a third of Māori voters surveyed in Tāmaki Makaurau say home ownership feels out of reach, while 62 percent have considered moving to Australia for better employment opportunities, according to the latest Whakaata Māori-Curia poll.
The poll surveyed 500 voters in the electorate, which has about 46,000 voters, and highlighted concerns about housing affordability, living costs, and employment.
Homeowners made up the largest share of respondents at 43 percent, while another 20 percent said they were on track to owning a home. For 34 percent, that prospect felt out of reach.
Te Pāti Māori MP Oriini Kaipara welcomed the number of Māori on the property ladder but said many others could not see a path to home ownership.
“Me kaua hoki tātou e wareware, he iwi tonu, he mātatoru tonu te iwi kāore e whai kāinga ana, kāore e kite ana i tētahi anamata pērā.”
Labour candidate Kerrin Leoni said living costs were preventing whānau from building financial stability.
“To be able to buy your own whare, you’ve got to be able to afford to put savings and everything else aside.”
Looking to Australia
The poll found 62 percent of respondents had considered moving to Australia for better employment opportunities, with living costs and jobs among the main factors driving them to look overseas.
Kaipara said the government should be ashamed that Māori were leaving to seek better opportunities. She said the next government needed to improve conditions so whānau could build a better life at home.
“Me whai mahi, me piki te utu o raro, me whakapiki tērā utu, kei roto i ā mātou kaupapa here ērā mahi katoa.”
Leoni said cuts across multiple sectors had made the prospect of moving overseas more appealing.
“We need a government who’s going to come back in, support our business, get more jobs back out for our whānau.”
Close Contest for Electorate Seat
Kaipara recorded 33 percent support as preferred electorate MP, two percentage points ahead of Leoni on 31 percent. Green Party candidate Florence Te Ohaere was on 21 percent.
Labour had the highest party vote support at 28 percent, followed by the Greens on 17 percent and Te Pāti Māori on 10 percent. Nine percent of respondents were unsure.
Among the governing parties, National recorded 6 percent, New Zealand First 5 percent, and ACT 3 percent.
Kaipara entered Parliament in 2025 after defeating Labour’s Peeni Henare in the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election, held following the sudden death of MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp.
She acknowledged the contest for the seat but said her commitment to the electorate remained firm.
“Mai anō i taku kuhutanga ki roto o Pāremata kua mea au, ahatia te hua o ngā tatauranga o te wā, i te mutunga iho ko taku pono ki taku iwi ka mau, ka ita, ka tapatahi tonu.
“Kotahi te mīhana, panaia te kāwanatanga.”
Leoni welcomed the result, saying it reflected her campaign team’s work across the electorate.
“We were really happy with the polling and the hard mahi our campaign team has been doing on the ground.
“Meeting with all of our whānau right across Tāmaki Makaurau. So, I’m really glad to see that that’s a good reflection of the good mahi that we’re doing.”
