After Peeni Henare’s appearance on Q+A with Jack Tame, it’s hard to argue that he isn’t the stronger candidate in the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election. He came across calm, prepared, and capable - something that his main rival, Oriini Kaipara, has yet to demonstrate.
Henare is not perfect. His views on repealing the gang patch ban and his tendency to flirt with Māori supremacy rhetoric are troubling. Politics is often about choosing the lesser of two evils. He’s been MP for Tāmaki Makaurau before, he understands the machinery of government, and he doesn’t fold too easily under pressure.
Kaipara, on the other hand, has been a walking disaster. Her interviews over the past fortnight have been nothing short of a waka wreck. If voters in Tāmaki Makaurau decide to elect her after this performance, it would suggest they’re as dumb as a bucket of dead muttonbirds.
Yesterday was another low point. Instead of fronting the media, Kaipara let John Tamihere and Rawiri Waititi speak on her behalf. It’s no surprise after she admitted, “Peeni would be a formidable leader for the Labour Party ... I think that's more important than Tāmaki Makaurau. Who should be the leader of our nation as the first Māori Prime Minister? I want to give that back to Peeni Henare.”
That statement says it all. She is effectively campaigning for her opponent.
When Te Pāti Māori first announced Kaipara as their candidate, they claimed she would “champion” the party’s mana motuhake package, including a policy giving mana whenua the first right of refusal over culturally significant private land. When Tame asked her on Q+A how that would actually work, she fumbled. She admitted she didn’t have the details and would need to go back and consult with others. At one point she even reached for her phone, unable to respond when pressed on whether Te Pāti Māori had achieved anything tangible for Māori in the last two terms.
That’s the heart of the problem. For all its hoha attitude, Te Pāti Māori has very little to show. Their one big act was a hikoi against ACT’s Treaty Principles Bill, which wasn’t going to pass in the first place. Beyond that, their most successful project might be their merchandising arm. The Toitū Te Tiriti online store, directed by Kiri Tamihere-Waititi, sells pro-Māori propaganda gear under the promise that “all proceeds” fund the movement. It has become a branding exercise, complete with MPs regularly parading around Parliament in their own merch.
So the choice in Tāmaki Makaurau is stark. On one side, a seasoned politician with experience, if not flaws. On the other, a rookie whose campaign has so far been an embarrassing display of confusion, backtracking, and reliance on others to speak for her.
Henare may not be the ideal candidate, but in this by-election, he is clearly the safer pair of hands.
When it comes to Peeni Henare, there is another glaring weakness that must not be overlooked - Henare’s tangled connection to government contracts awarded to the consulting firm run by his partner, Skye Kimura…