Te Pāti Māori MP cites support for late colleague in budget defence

Monday, 20 October 2025

The Te Pāti Māori MP at the centre of allegations made by her own party’s leadership has broken her silence, saying her spending had been approved.

Te Tai Tokerau MP Mariamaeno Kapa-Kingi, in an open letter posted on Instagram, says she did not overspend her parliamentary budget because she was helping her friend and colleague Takutai Tarsh Kemp, who died earlier this year.

“She needed extra support to focus on her oranga (wellbeing) and the responsibility of to hāpai (support) her electorate fell to me, as the closest MP to her rohe.”

Kapa-Kingi could now also be facing disciplinary action, with Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere telling The Post that the party’s constitution was “now in full play”.

In an explosive late-night email sent to Te Pāti Māori supporters last Monday, it was alleged that Kapa-Kingi had overspent her parliamentary budget by $133,000. The email also made allegations about her son, Eru Kapa-Kingi, the former vice president of the party and leader of the Toitū Te Tiriti protest movement.

Kapa-Kingi has not spoken about the allegations but, in her statement today, said because she was looking after Tarsh Kemp’s rohe, or electorate, that budget fell to her to cover the extra staff needed for the work.

“The leadership approved the payment of the first tranche of the work, indicating the arrangements were suitable and sufficient. Payment happened without contest or alarm. I continued with the same arrangement,” Kapa-Kingi said.

“I have been reluctant to share the matter out of aroha (love) for my friend and her whānau.”

Te Pāti Māori were initially encouraging of the arrangement.

Kapa-Kingi was also the party’s whip at the time (though was recently demoted) and she said that carried extra administrative work which usually came out of the party’s central budget.

“I believed Te Pāti Māori leadership would support further budget reallocation to cover the requirements of this role they entrusted me with. For whatever reason, they did not.”

She said Speaker Gerry Brownlee approved her budget and confirmed that no rules had been breached - and that the party co-leaders knew this.

“I remain unsure why this budget reallocation was shared publicly without the context it was made in.”

Kapa-Kingi said the recent period had been challenging, that the “noise has been loud” and that the path ahead was long.

“My focus remains on the mahi that unites us and getting back to the real mahi on the ground.”

Tamihere said any comment “would be unhelpful” because the party’s constitution “is now in full play”.

Under the party’s rules, MPs misusing funds for personal gain and wilfully bringing the party into disrepute are listed as “serious disputes” any member which commits either act can face disciplinary action.

Tamihere did not respond further about what action was “in play”.

The constitution also sets out the party’s processes for complaints.

Complaints are first communicated in writing to the relevant Electorate Council and, if it cannot be resolved at this level, it’s referred to the Disciplinary and Disputes Committee of the party’s executive.