Iwi leaders will meet with Te Pāti Māori leadership at Parliament on Tuesday in an effort to put a stop to extraordinary infighting.
The National Iwi Chairs Forum took the unusual step of requesting a hui with the political party last week in a bid to mend divisions.
Since then, the party’s president John Tamihere has publicly asked for MPs Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and Tākuta Ferris to quit politics.
Tamihere accused the pair of conspiring to overthrow the leadership, after Ferris’ Te Tai Tonga electorate launched an online petition for Tamihere to stand down.
Party president John Tamihere called for Kapa-Kingi to throw in the towel. (Source: 1News)
Ngāti Kahungunu chairman Bayden Barber is among a handful of iwi representatives that will sit down with the party’s co-leaders and president on Tuesday to work out what, if anything, can be salvaged from here.
“We’re going to try. We’re going to give it our best shot. There’s a lot at stake in terms of an upcoming election. We’ve been challenged like no other generation from this government.
“That’s why we see it as really important to offer an opportunity for reconciliation between both parts of the party and hopefully find a solution going forward.
“Those posts that came out [on Monday] from both sides were unhelpful and unnecessary.”
Barber said the Iwi Chairs Forum wanted to meet with Kapa-Kingi and Ferris too, with the ultimate goal to get everyone together for a hui at a marae in Wellington “sometime in the near future”.
The forum wanted the party to focus on policy, he said.
“We have a government that has attacked us from every front the last couple of years, so having the only kaupapa Māori party imploding is not helpful to the cause of iwi and aspirations that we’re trying to achieve for our people.
“At the moment, there’s a big distraction and it’s been caused by the in-fighting in the party at this time, and we felt it’s important to try and get that back on track because we have a vested interest.
“This isn’t just about Te Pāti Māori supporters, this is about Māori community right around the country all feeling a bit disappointed and overwhelmed by all the tit-for-tat happening on social media.
“So we’re trying to reach out to build a bridge and find some common ground and reconcile hopefully the relationships, but the longer this goes on, the harder that is going to be.”
Kapa-Kingi has said she did not plan on leaving politics.
“JT (Tamihere) doesn’t speak for Tai Tokerau – only people of Tai Tokerau do. The people voted me as an electorate member I’m proud to say, and therefore I’m not going anywhere. I have a job to do and I plan to continue to do it best way I know how – show up, prepare and remember who you represent.”
Ferris has not made a public comment yet, saying only that his electorate’s executive would be sending out a statement “in due course”.
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