Te Pāti Māori is once again proving that it is its own worst enemy, and at the centre of the circus is none other than Takuta Ferris. His latest outburst - a video rant uploaded online, was nothing short of a racist tirade, this time aimed squarely at the media and Chris Hipkins. What Ferris is really doing is burning every possible bridge with Labour, and perhaps deliberately so. It feels calculated, as if he is intent on ensuring Te Pāti Māori will never be taken seriously as a potential partner in government.
Ferris’ argument is laughable and dangerous at the same time. He claims that Labour’s commitment to “inclusivity” is actually a covert plan to wipe out Māori seats. He suggests that Labour contesting the Māori seats in 2026 would be a “disservice” to Māori. The sheer absurdity of this is staggering. Labour has contested Māori seats for decades, long before Te Pāti Māori even existed. To paint this as some sort of sinister plot is not only dishonest, it’s divisive race-baiting designed to pit Māori against anyone who doesn’t bow to Ferris’ worldview.
What Ferris and Te Pāti Māori fail to understand is that they don’t own the Māori seats. Those electorates belong to the people who vote in them. Suggesting Labour should stand aside is tantamount to saying Māori don’t deserve a choice. It is the very definition of political arrogance – deciding who is allowed to compete for votes, as if Māori are children who can’t think for themselves.
Meanwhile, Ferris’ attacks on Labour expose the deep dysfunction within Te Pāti Māori. Labour and maybe the Greens are the only mainstream parties that have ever worked seriously with them, and yet Ferris seems determined to torch the relationship with Labour at every turn. If this is how Te Pāti Māori treats its allies, why should anyone trust them? The idea of Labour trying to form a coalition with a party whose MPs openly accuse them of erasing Māori identity is laughable.
The media, for their part, should start asking Chris Hipkins some hard questions. Why would Labour even consider working with Te Pāti Māori in 2026, when one of its loudest voices is on a constant crusade to undermine and insult them? Ferris may think he’s a champion of his people, but in reality he’s a liability – not just to his own party, but to Māori voters who deserve better than angry videos and paranoid conspiracies dressed up as “advocacy.”
At some point, Te Pāti Māori needs to decide whether it wants to be a genuine political party, capable of building bridges and delivering for Māori, or whether it is content being a fringe protest movement that lashes out at everyone and alienates even its closest potential allies. Right now, with Takuta Ferris having access to a social media account and posting unhinged rants, it looks very much like the latter.
Credit to Suit and Tie (@Suitandtie9999) over on X for ripping the original video.
