COMMENT: The votes are in — mostly.
A new crop of Māori MPs is preparing to swap the campaign trail for the corridors of Parliament.
For some, the result is secure. For others, special votes could still change who gets to take a seat in the Beehive.
Among the new faces are Eden Skipper, Mananui Ramsden, Kingi Kiriona and Aperahama Edwards — four candidates with very different paths to Parliament.
Eden Skipper
The 28-year-old Ngāi Tahu leader received 793 votes in Christchurch Central, finishing well behind the two leading candidates.
But Opportunity won 7 seats in the preliminary count, putting Skipper, ranked No. 5 on the party list, on course for Parliament.
Skipper brings a background in Māori development, environmental restoration and research into alternative economic futures, with experience across government, community organisations and academia.
His route to Parliament was not through the electorate; it was through the list.
Kingi Kiriona
The Labour candidate picked up 7,541 votes, finishing second to Te Pāti Māori incumbent Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke, who secured 17,982.
But Kiriona was No. 22 on Labour’s party list, and with Labour projected to win 36 seats, he is safely inside the party’s preliminary allocation.
A former Deputy Chief Executive – Mātauranga Māori at Te Aka Whai Ora, Kiriona has held senior roles across Māori development, broadcasting and education, and was appointed to the Waitangi Tribunal in 2025.
He entered the Hauraki-Waikato race with strong Kīngitanga connections and the backing of Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po.
He may have missed out on the electorate, but No. 22 on the Labour list is sending him to the Beehive anyway.
Tania Waikato
Tania Waikato will be making the trip from Te Teko to the Beehive.
The Green Party candidate finished second to Te Pāti Māori’s Rāwiri Waititi, polling 10,806 votes to Waititi’s 13,080.
But Waikato was ranked No. 13 on the Green Party list, and with the Greens projected to win 16 seats, she is on course to enter Parliament through the list.
A lawyer with more than 20 years’ experience, Waikato has worked for iwi and hapū and represented Māori claimants in urgent Waitangi Tribunal proceedings.
Her campaign put a strong focus on Te Tiriti, Māori rights and representation, and she emerged as one of the strongest challenges to Waititi in Waiariki.
“The first actual thing that I’m going to do when I get to Parliament is I’m going to do a karakia.”
Mananui Ramsden
Mananui Ramsden is heading to Parliament after dethroning incumbent independent MP Tākuta Ferris in Te Tai Tonga.
The Ngāi Tahu leader and former chair of Te Rūnanga o Koukourarata received 8,614 votes, beating Green candidate Lisa Te Morenga on 5,841.
Ramsden entered the race with a background in marae leadership, environmental and freshwater advocacy.
A descendant of Hoani Te Raki Tīkao, one of the signatories to Te Tiriti at Takapūneke, Ramsden has described himself as a mokopuna of those who signed the Treaty.
He chose not to stand on Labour’s party list, saying he wanted to enter Parliament only with a direct mandate from the people of Te Tai Tonga.
He got it.
Now the pā boy who says he was “dragged up in the kitchen” is heading to the Beehive, with Te Tai Tonga’s mandate in his back pocket.
Aperahama Edwards
For Aperahama Edwards, the dream of heading to Parliament is still hanging by a thread — and a few hundred votes.
The Ngātiwai leader and chair of the Ngātiwai Trust Board received 8,484 votes in Te Tai Tokerau, putting him just 436 votes ahead of Green candidate Hūhana Lyndon, on 8,048.
His campaign centred on a voice for Te Tai Tokerau that would not bend when Te Tiriti was under attack.
His career has spanned iwi and hapū development, te reo Māori revitalisation, ocean conservation and Māori advocacy.
On election night, Edwards surged into the lead in one of the country’s tightest races.
But with special votes still to be counted, Lyndon remains close enough to keep the race on a knife-edge.
