The party president accused two MPs of plotting a leadership coup and said they should ‘do the honourable thing’ and resign – though many members say it’s he who should go, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin.
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‘Greed, avarice and entitlement’
In a blistering Facebook post on Monday, Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere accused MPs Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and Tākuta Ferris of plotting a leadership coup and urged them to resign. The post, the latest salvo in a month-long public brawl within the party, claimed the pair were driven by “greed, avarice and entitlement”. Tamihere alleged that Kapa-Kingi, the MP for Te Tai Tokerau, had approached iwi leaders in July to gauge support for challenging co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, while Ferris would have stood against Rawiri Waititi. He also revisited earlier accusations – contained in a now-infamous email from party leadership – that Kapa-Kingi overspent her parliamentary budget and that her son verbally abused security staff at Parliament.
The fiery post included an anecdote from 2023 suggesting the Kapa-Kingi whānau were angered by the list ranking that placed then-rookie MP Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke – “somebody in nappies” – above Mariameno, “a Wahine Rangatira from Te Tai Tokerau”. “Their conduct is not based on mana, integrity or honesty,” Tamihere wrote, invoking the precedent of Hone Harawira’s 2011 split from the Māori Party to suggest the two MPs “do the honourable thing” and resign.
Backlash from within
Tamihere’s outburst came in the face of similar pressure from the other side for him to step down. Over the weekend, Te Tai Tonga members launched a petition calling for Tamihere’s “immediate resignation”, accusing him of failing to act with “tika, pono and aroha”. Their move followed weeks of escalating dissent, including support for Kapa-Kingi from new MP Oriini Kaipara.
Meanwhile, Newsroom’s Laura Walters reports, “thousands have liked, shared and posted in support of Kapa-Kingi and her whānau”, circulating an image reading “We stand with her.” Across the motu, the party is fracturing into pro- and anti-Tamihere camps. Some members describe the president’s tactics as “dirty politics”, reports Stuff’s Glenn McConnell, while others say he has abandoned the collective kaupapa that once defined the movement.
‘Defamation masquerading as accountability’
Among those calling for change is Amokura Panoho, a founding TPM figure who served as the party’s first secretary. In a Substack essay published last week – before Tamihere’s tirade – she traced her long and contentious history with the veteran politician, accusing him of repeated attempts to “silence dissent” through personal attacks. “The same patterns have re-emerged,” she wrote. “The email circulated to members was not leadership – it was defamation masquerading as accountability … a one-sided account presented as fact.” Panoho said Tamihere’s leadership style, marked by litigation and attempts at control, has corroded trust within the movement. Her essay ended with a blunt appeal: “John Tamihere, it is time to stand down … Te Pāti Māori was never yours to own. It existed before you, and it will exist after you.”
A suspension in question
One of the issues at the centre of the debate is the contested “suspension” of Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. The party’s National Council claimed to have voted to suspend her last month, but the decision’s legality is uncertain as Te Pāti Māori’s constitution sets no clear process for suspending a sitting MP.
Panoho says the meeting itself may have broken the rules, noting the party’s constitution does not allow the council to lawfully convene “without representation from at least four Māori electorates and the required officers”. According to Panoho’s sources, the quorum was not met, “which is contrary to the public statement issued”.
Meanwhile, McConnell reports, the party’s co-leaders “have been largely absent, for weeks, from the day-to-day accountability measures at Parliament by refusing to speak to reporters. They have not responded to any requests for comment.” RNZ’s Anneke Smith reports that the National Iwi Chairs Forum has requested a meeting with Te Pāti Māori leadership today in an effort to put a stop to the extraordinary infighting.
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