The Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency head, John Tamihere, is stepping back into politics as Te Pāti Māori's new president.
John Tamihere has decided to enter back into politics. Photo: Jason Dorday / Stuff
Tamihere's appointment follows Che Wilson stepping down from the role to concentrate on investing his time towards whānau and business.
Co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer have applauded John Tamihere in the new role.
"John Tamihere is a seasoned politician and one of our strongest advocates for Māori across multiple areas. We are heading towards next year's election with more mana and strength than ever. We are ready to give our people what they need and what they deserve, a fairer and well-represented government"
Tamihere said he was ready for the challenges ahead of next year's election.
"Our people are awakening to their rights and we are seeing more Māori movement on the streets. We are here to show them they now have the voting alternative they always wanted when it comes to their voices, their needs and their rights, and that is Te Pāti Māori".
He praised his predecessor Che Wilson for the party's return in 2020 after its defeat at the 2017 election when Labour received all the votes in the Māori seats.
Tamihere was the party's co-leader in the 2020 election.
The outgoing president said he would continue to support the work being done by the party.
"I continue to tautoko our Pāti and our kaupapa as the only unapologetic expression of mana motuhake in the system and that truly expresses the promise of Te Tiriti o Waitangi," Wilson said.
