Emotional MPs pay tribute to Te Pāti Maori MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp

Thursday, 26 June 2025

Labour MP Peeni Henare says the death of Takutai Karsh Kemp came as a shock. They met just yesterday.

Visibly shocked MPs paid tribute in the House to Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp, who died overnight in Auckland aged 50.

Parliament’s flags are flying at half mast and the House will rise for the afternoon after MPs give their tributes.

Te Pāti Māori MPs are with whānau and not in the House, Speaker Gerry Brownlee said at the outset of the tributes - which were being made at a time the House would be typically sitting for debate.

Peeni Henare and Shane Jones have both sung waiata, and the tributes, made by party leaders and deputies, ended with MPs rising and singing waiata together.

Flowers were placed at the seat Kemp would normally have occupied in the House. She was in Parliament as recently as yesterday.

Shortly before the House sat, MPs and senior ministers told reporters they were shocked and upset.

Takutai Tarsh Kemp after entering Parliament in 2023.

A sombre acting Prime Minister David Seymour said he had been shocked by the news, and his thoughts were with Kemp’s family, colleagues and the party.

“You just don’t even think about it, you don’t expect that someone would be in Parliament one day and gone the next.”

Kemp was “someone that you knew exactly where she stood. She was passionate.”

Seymour said his mother had died at 50. “It’s far too young. Far too soon. Far too sad.”

Finance Minister Nicola Willis, having been asked about supermarket competition, returned to reporters to say she felt “awkward” talking about business when Kemp’s death was “far more important”.

Willis, appearing emotional, said she was thinking of Kemp’s children.

Flowers occupy the seat where Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp would typically have sat in the House, as the House marked her death.

“I just have huge sympathy for her kids in particular, who I thought about first…she’s gone far too soon.”

Te Pāti Māori this morning confirming Kemp had died in the early hours of this morning.

“Takutai Moana devoted every breath to the movement for Māori liberation and worked tirelessly to serve her community of Tāmaki Makaurau.

“As she navigated her health journey, she continued to stand in the House, on our marae, in our communities and she always stood up for our mokopuna.

“As a movement, we are devastated by this news. Takutai was more than a colleague to us, she was our sister, and we loved her dearly.”

Parliament’s flags are at half mast on the death of Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp.

Co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer told Stuff’ the party was devastated.

'We are broken,' she said. 'We are devastated. It is not what we expected to wake up to.'

The Office of the Speaker Gerry Brownlee on Thursday morning said the House would resume at 2pm and acknowledge “with the deepest sadness” Kemp’s death.

Tributes have flowed for the Tāmaki Makaurau MP, who recently celebrated her 50th birthday and was in Parliament this week.

Last year Kemp confirmed she had been battling kidney disease and was receiving dialysis treatment. She took leave from Parliament for six weeks.

Labour MPs Peeni Henare, who competed against Kemp at the 2023 election for Tāmaki Makaurau, Willie Jackson, Arena Williams and Carmel Sepuloni spoke about Kemp from Parliament this morning.

Through tears, Henare “acknowledged the passing of our good friend, colleague, Nan, mum and a wonderful, wonderful community leader”.

“We knew that her health was struggling, and it just comes as such a shock. I had my youth MP here with me over the past couple of days, and yesterday, we sat with her for an hour talking about politics and how, despite her and I having contested the election, how close we were together, and how we worked for the for the benefit of our community.

“And to hear this news is - it's truly shocking.

“She called me brother, and I called her sister, and that's how it was.

Labour MPs (from left) Carmel Sepuloni, Peeni Henare and Willie Jackson at Parliament on Thursday after the death of Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp.

“When I think about our sister, her passion was for our young people. And she loved her mokopuna.”

Williams, who first met Kemp in 2011 when she was leading a youth dance group in Manurewa, said Kemp “was someone who always had an open door for young people”.

“She believed in whānau wellbeing, people finding a place for themselves, no matter what their background, and for using our marae in an urban context as a place to come together.”

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on behalf of the Government, “our thoughts are with her whānau, friends, colleagues, and the Tāmaki Makaurau community”.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins also paid tribute to Kemp on Thursday morning.

“It is with a heavy heart we acknowledge the sudden passing of our colleague and friend Takutai Tarsh Kemp. Our thoughts are with her whanau and our colleagues of Te Pāti Māori at this sad time. Nō reira okioki mai na koe e te tuahine, e te hoa,” he said.

NZ First leader Winston Peters also posted on social media that it was “very sad news”.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with her whanau, family, and friends at this very difficult time.”

Kemp was elected to Parliament in the 2023 election.