Election 2026: Labour's final contender in push to take back Māori seats
Wednesday, 6 May 2026
The Labour Party is poised to announce its final candidate for the Māori seats as it prepares itself for its bid to oust Te Pāti Māori out of Parliament altogether.
Ngāti Toa leader Te Pūoho Kātene (Ngāti Toa Rangātira, Ngāti Whātua, Ngāti Tama) will challenge Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer in the Te Tai Hauāuru contest in Election 2026.
Labour will formally announce the Fulbright Scholar in Porirua this afternoon.
The Māori seats are each shaping up to be exciting races in their own right - made even more fascinating by Labour’s stated objective to win all seven come November.
If realised, Labour’s goal would mean Te Pāti Māori doesn’t return to Parliament. A run of polls indicate its party vote support sits well under the 5% threshold, meaning Te Pāti Māori needs at least one electorate seat to secure its presence in politics for another term.
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Kātene is running for Te Tai Hauāuru on his leadership and governance background. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Māori Studies and a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology, Ecology and Biodiversity from Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington.
He won a Fulbright Scholarship to do his Master of Science in Management at Stanford Graduate School of Business and was also an Obama Foundation Leader in the Asia/Pacific.
Kātene has led Tapuwae Roa (previously Te Pūtea Whakatupu Trust) since 2020; developing new pathways for capital investment in Māori-led initiatives and has worked in Parliament.
“I firmly believe that money should be like a kumara; its true value lies in its ability to feed our people. Investment paves the way for Māori to use our resources wisely for the betterment of our people,” he said.
Labour said Kātene came from a whānau grounded in tikanga Māori with a leadership style guided by belief in service, whanaungatanga and collective advancement.
“Our Māori population is young and growing fast; I want to help create a future where whānau, hapū and iwi are thriving socially, culturally and economically,” Kātene said.
“My experience in business and governance has shown me how ready our people are to innovate, to lead and to succeed as Māori.”
Te Pāti Māori was a huge success story out of the 2023 election - scooping up all of the Māori seats bar Ikaroa-Rāwhiti that was won by Labour’s Cushla Tangaere-Manuel.
Te Tai Hauāuru - covering the west coast of the North Island - was long-held by the late Māori Party co-founder Tariana Turia. Labour’s Adrian Rurawhe won it in 2014 after Turia’s retirement.
Ngarewa-Packer won the seat convincingly in 2023, having served the previous term as a list MP, but will return to the campaign trail embattled after a run of public in-fighting in her party led to the expulsion of two of its MPs - one of which was later reinstated by the High Court.
Te Pāti Māori is expected to announce its candidates in the next few weeks, though it’s likely those who already hold seats like Ngarewa-Packer will stand again in their electorates again.