Te Tai Tokerau MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. Photo: VNP / Phil Smith
Te Pāti Māori is standing by comments made by one of its MPs which other parties have called inflammatory and offensive.
In Parliament last Wednesday, Te Tai Tokerau MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi said the government "will not waver in its mission to exterminate Māori".
She said "colour-blind" was "just another word for white supremacy" and criticised the changes the government was planning to make to the Oranga Tamariki Act.
"The government's reasons to take it away can be summed up in a few short words: Racism and Pākehā supremacy," she said.
Kapa-Kingi's comments drew a strong rebuke on social media from New Zealand First leader Winston Peters.
In a post on X on Monday, Winston Peters said Kapa-Kingi's comments were "ignorant and offensive" and accused Te Pāti Māori of taking New Zealand down a "race-based rabbit hole".
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the comments were unhelpful and out of line.
"The rhetoric needs to calm down, big time, across the whole of the political spectrum," Luxon said.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Labour leader Chris Hipkins agreed.
"That kind of language isn't helpful and it's certainly not language I agree with."
Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka said he disagreed with Kapa-Kingi's assertion.
"I think that the use of inflammatory provocative langauge like that is very unhelpful, and it can be very provocative and divisive for our communities," he said.
Potaka said the government was committed to supporting locally-led, whānau-centric work in education, health, and housing.
Co-chairperson of Labour's Māori caucus Willie Jackson said Kapa-Kingi's comments were "probably just some rhetoric" but he would not use them himself.
He still expressed concern over the government's policies.
"The reality is, their policies in terms of Māori are really worrying. We've seen the abolition of the Māori Health Authority, te reo Māori is under attack. Māori are sick of it, and you're getting a response."
When asked on Tuesday what he made of the comments, Peters instead referred media back to his social media posts.
"Twenty-four hours later, other parties are reacting, have you noticed that? And one of your journalists said that I also put out a statement. How do you like that for misrepresentation of the chronology of this event?"
Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi said Kapa-Kingi's comments were "bang on" and represented how the party felt.
"We will not be told or determined how to feel. Many of the policy changes that this government is making absolutely makes us feel like there's huge extermination processes and policies of the very existence of tangata whenua in this country."
Co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said the government did not have a mandate to represent Māori, as 85 percent of Māori did not vote for the coalition partners.
"Seventy percent of our population are under the age of 40, and none are going to speak like some of the uncles around here want to hear them speak.
"That's the kind of party we represent. People don't like grassroots language, people don't like the layman language, we've got a government that's only in the gentry."
