Te Pāti Māori has responded to claims of bullying with its own allegations against MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and her son, Eru. Here’s what we know.
At 10pm on Monday night, Te Pāti Māori leadership sent an email to party members containing allegations of overspend from former party whip and current MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, whose son Eru recently alleged bullying from party leadership.
The email contains details of alleged incidents as far back as May 2024, and a series of dates when key figures became aware of each allegation. Below is an attempt to make sense of the timeline from what we know now. It will be updated or as more details come to light.
3.15pm, October 14: updated with a new comment from Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and a statement from Eru Kapa-Kingi.
December 5, 2023
Toitū Te Tiriti launches social media presence.
May 30, 2024
Toitū Te Tiriti leads a budget day hīkoi to parliament. According to a current Herald report, an incident is alleged to have occurred at parliament on this day involving Eru Kapa-Kingi, one of the leaders of the Toitū Te Tiriti movement and a former vice-president of Te Pāti Māori. Attached to the email sent to members on Monday was an apparent Parliamentary Service report about the alleged incident, including claims that Kapa-Kingi “tailgated” through security gates at the Beehive and swore at parliament staff when questioned. RNZ reports that Eru Kapa-Kingi was accused of using terms such as, “you are just a piece of s…” , “f… you c…” and, “I will f….. knock you out”. The email to members alleges “bullying” by Kapa-Kingi and says he was trespassed from parliament following the incident.
July 21, 2024
Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp goes on leave from parliament for six weeks to undertake treatment for kidney disease.
August 2, 2024
According to the email sent to party members on Monday, on this day Te Pāti Māori becomes aware of the incident involving Eru Kapa-Kingi at parliament some two months earlier, and is also informed that he had been on a $120,000 per annum Parliamentary Service contract to his mother that was terminated for “serious misconduct”.
September 16, 2024
Toitū Te Tiriti Limited is incorporated with the Companies Register. Christina (Kiri) Tamihere is listed as the sole shareholder and director. She is the daughter of Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere. Te Rawhitiroa Bosch and Nyree Porter are added as directors in May and June respectively.
In its email to members sent this week, Te Pāti Māori says, “Toitū Te Tiriti was set up by Te Pāti Mãori activists. It was purposely designed to build a soft bridge in and around support for Te Pāti Mãori without occasioning formal membership, etc. It was a way of attracting Tangata Pasifika, Tangata Tiriti in the support of our activations because we knew there was huge sympathy in non-Mãori communities for the way in which the present governing regime incessantly attacks matters Mãori.
“Eru Kapa-Kingi was appointed spokesperson and at all relevant times was the Vice President of Te Pãti Mãori. All activations were carried out and supported by Te Pāti Mãori activists. Mr. Kapa-Kingi was our spokesperson but had no role in activating our communities.”
November 19, 2024
Another Toitū Te Tiriti hīkoi, organised in response to the Treaty principles bill, arrives at parliament. At this point, Eru Kapa-Kingi is a highly visible leader of the Toitū Te Tiriti movement, and delivers a speech to tens of thousands on and around parliament grounds.
March 24, 2025
Eru Kapa-Kingi steps down as vice president of Te Pāti Māori.
June 26, 2025
Takutai Tarsh Kemp dies unexpectedly in the early hours of the morning, having attended parliament the day prior. She was 50 years old and had been on the waitlist for a kidney transplant, according to reports.
July 7, 2025
Parliamentary Service contacts Te Pāti Māori co-leaders to alert them to “major overspending issues”, according to Monday’s letter to members. They are advised that Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, as party whip, is tracking to overspend by $133,000. The Parliamentary Service letter to Te Pāti Māori connects the overspend to Mariameno Kapa-Kingi’s engagement of her son Eru Kapa-Kingi as a contractor, reports the Herald. Monday’s letter to members references this “allegation”, saying “we will leave it to Mariameno to front that allegation and declare how much has been paid out to Eru”.
August 1, 2025
The co-leaders are in contact with Kapa-Kingi (Monday’s letter alleges that following the July 7 advisory from Parliamentary Service, “the co-leaders attempted to contact Mariameno and were unable to until 1st August 2025”).
Party president John Tamihere is told about Parliamentary Service’s concerns “and understood that there had been some prevarication on the part of Mariameno”.
August 2, 2025
Tamihere calls Kapa-Kingi “to advise her of the gravity of our position and that Te Pāti Māori did not and could not be seen to be poor managers over financial matters”.
September 4, 2025
Tākuta Ferris posts on social media criticising a photo of volunteers of various ethnicities campaigning with Labour candidate Peeni Henare in the Tāmaki Makaurau byelection. “This blows my mind!!” he wrote. “Indians, Asians, Black and Pākehā campaigning to take a Māori seat from Māori.” Te Pāti Māori apologised and said Ferris had been instructed to remove the post.
September 6, 2025
Te Pāti Māori’s candidate Oriini Kaipara wins the Tāmaki Makaurau byelection by a substantial margin.
September 9, 2025
Ferris shares another social media post defending his earlier comments.
September 11, 2025
Mariameno Kapa-Kingi is removed from her role as party whip/matarau, with neither Kapa-Kingi nor Te Pāti Māori’s co-leaders publicly stating a reason for the demotion.
October 2, 2025
In a series of interviews with Arataua Media, Whakaata Māori’s Te Ao Māori News and RNZ’s Mata, Eru Kapa-Kingi alleges bullying and a “dictatorship” model within Te Pāti Māori, and announces a “distancing” of Toitū Te Tiriti from Te Pāti Māori and party politics.
October 3, 2025
Toitū Te Tiriti posts a statement on social media saying that while the movement’s roots are connected to Te Pāti Māori, it has evolved into a kaupapa independent of all political parties. “Commentary circulating in the media beyond this reflects individual views, not the collective position of Toitu Te Tiriti.”
October 9, 2025
Oriini Kaipara delivers her maiden speech in parliament as the new MP for Tāmaki Makaurau. Following an impromptu haka at the end of her speech, the speaker says Te Pāti Māori will be investigated for contempt of parliament.
Immediately following Kaipara’s speech, Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Waititi and Ngarewa-Packer hold a media conference to announce the party’s “reset”. The co-leaders promise policy announcements in the coming fortnight and a new, clear direction aimed at being in government after the 2026 election. Questions from media following the prepared speeches last three minutes before Waititi pulls Ngarewa-Packer away from the conference – the abrupt departure stems from 1News political editor Maiki Sherman asking the co-leaders to respond to Kapa-Kingi’s allegations of bullying and “dictatorship”.
October 13, 2025
Speaking to Waatea News’ Dale Husband, party president Tamihere says the Kapi-Kingi allegations are “a separate family issue” and would have a “tikanga-based solution”.
“What we don’t do is what Pākehā parties do. What we don’t do is go to Pākehā media to have our kōrero,” he told Waatea. “Last night we had an outstanding national executive hui in the weekend – across all our electorates, and I’m pleased to say we’re in a good space heading into Election 2026. It doesn’t matter what the white media says, what matters is what our people believe.
“There’s no doubt the Kapa-Kingi issue caused a momentary pause in our momentum. And now the party can respond and will respond to the Kapa-Kingi allegations.”
At 10pm, a long email is sent to Te Pāti Māori members with “documentation prepared in direct response to [Kapa-Kingi’s] allegations”.
The email is headlined “Te Pāti Māori fact sheet – Eru Kapa-Kingi allegations” and includes subheadings “Toitū Te Tiriti”, “Allegations”, “Matters Financial”, “Matters Matarau” and “Bullying”. As well as revealing the alleged incident and overspend, the letter says Mariameno Kapa-Kingi was removed as matarau (party whip) so she could focus on campaigning in her electorate of Te Tai Tokerau.
It’s reported that Tākuta Ferris called for a vote of no confidence in party president John Tamihere and the party’s national board following the email being sent.
October 14, 2025
The email and much of its content are reported widely by media. The Herald reports confirmation of an incident by Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, who said it “went through the usual processes through Parly [Parliament] Services and, yeah, there was a process that was run and … I’ll leave that there”.
Eru Kapa-Kingi posts a statement on social media: “I joined Te Pāti Māori as a young, passionate man, with the belief I could help create a better world for our people. Instead, I learnt a long and hard lesson – power can truly corrupt people you once looked up to.
“Regardless of the noise, my whānau have and always will be, on the ground, kaupapa people. Those who know us know there is no question of integrity, and we will continue to be side by side with our people. Kia hikoi tonu tātou, āke āke āke.”
