Te Pāti Māori’s campaign truck repossessed

Shiny on the outside, rotten at the core

The shine is well and truly wearing off Te Pāti Māori.

The campaign truck once used to promote Oriini Kaipara’s successful Tāmaki Makaurau bid is now being flogged off by Turners on behalf of a finance company, repossessed, stripped of value, and dumped on the lot for sale.

The 1991 Isuzu CXH still looks slick from the outside, covered in glossy Te Pāti Māori branding. But open the door and it is a disaster, with ripped seats, rubbish, and neglect everywhere. You could not ask for a better metaphor for the party itself - all polish and pride on the outside, chaos and dysfunction within.

The self-proclaimed party for the people is now at war with itself. This week, Te Pāti Māori moved to suspend its own MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, and to reset her entire Te Tai Tokerau electorate committee. The decision follows months of bitter infighting, accusations of a leadership dictatorship, and whispers that the movement’s supposed unity is nothing more than a façade.

Kapa-Kingi’s own son, former party executive Eru Kapa-Kingi, lit the fuse earlier this year when he accused the leadership of running the party like dictatorship. His claims have proven somewhat prophetic.

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Minutes from a tense meeting reveal four motions were rammed through: to wipe out the Te Tai Tokerau Electorate Executive, accuse Kapa-Kingi of serious breaches of party rules, suspend her as MP, and find a way to make it official. In short, it is a purge…