Te Pāti Māori
TPMMāori-focused party advocating for Treaty rights, indigenous sovereignty, and Māori wellbeing.
Policy Positions
Te Pāti Māori's Cost of Living Policy
Te Pāti Māori proposes a universal basic income, removal of GST from food and basic necessities, free healthcare and education, and progressive wealth taxes. They argue Māori are disproportionately affected by cost of living pressures and that structural economic change is needed.
Simple explanation
Give everyone a basic income, remove GST from food and essentials, make healthcare free, and tax wealth to fund it all.
Te Pāti Māori's Housing Policy
Te Pāti Māori calls for urgent investment in papakāinga (Māori land) housing, addressing the disproportionate representation of Māori in housing need, Treaty-based housing solutions, and community-led housing on Māori land.
Simple explanation
Invest urgently in housing on Māori land, fix the over-representation of Māori in homelessness, and let Māori communities lead their own housing solutions.
Te Pāti Māori's Health Policy
Te Pāti Māori advocates for a Māori Health Authority with genuine decision-making power, kaupapa Māori health services, addressing the significant life expectancy gap between Māori and non-Māori, and decolonising health care delivery.
Simple explanation
Give Māori real control over their own health services, fund Māori-led healthcare, and fix the serious health gap that means Māori live shorter lives on average.
Te Pāti Māori's Education Policy
Te Pāti Māori calls for fully funded kura kaupapa Māori (Māori language immersion schools) and kōhanga reo (Māori language nests), compulsory te reo Māori in all schools, free tertiary education, cancellation of student debt, and a decolonised curriculum.
Simple explanation
Fund Māori language schools properly, teach te reo Māori in every school, make university free, cancel student debt, and reform the curriculum to reflect New Zealand's true history.
Te Pāti Māori's Taxation Policy
Te Pāti Māori supports a comprehensive capital gains tax, a wealth tax on high net worth individuals, removing GST from food and basic necessities, and using revenue to fund universal basic income and free public services. They argue the current tax system perpetuates inequality.
Simple explanation
Tax investment profits and large fortunes, remove GST from food and essentials, and use the money to pay for a universal income and free services for all.
Te Pāti Māori's Economic Policy
Te Pāti Māori advocates for a Māori economy framework that recognises the $70 billion Māori asset base, Treaty-based economic partnerships, investment in Māori enterprises, and redistribution through progressive taxation. They support economic decolonisation and Māori control of their resources.
Simple explanation
Recognise and grow the Māori economy, form Treaty-based economic partnerships, invest in Māori-owned businesses, and redistribute wealth through fair taxation.
Te Pāti Māori's Immigration Policy
Te Pāti Māori supports strong Pacific connections through immigration, recognises the Treaty relationship with all who come to Aotearoa, supports pathways for undocumented long-term residents, and a more compassionate approach to refugees and asylum seekers.
Simple explanation
Make it easier for Pacific people to come to New Zealand, give long-term undocumented residents a pathway to stay, and treat refugees with compassion.
Te Pāti Māori's Climate Policy
Te Pāti Māori frames climate change as an issue of intergenerational and indigenous justice. They call for rapid decarbonisation, protecting Māori lands and coastlines from climate impacts, Treaty-based climate governance, and ensuring Māori communities lead their own climate adaptation.
Simple explanation
Treat climate change as a justice issue requiring urgent action, protect Māori lands and coastal communities from climate damage, and ensure Māori have a voice in climate decisions under the Treaty.
Te Pāti Māori's Environment Policy
Te Pāti Māori advocates for kaitiakitanga (guardianship) of the environment as a Treaty obligation, legal personhood for rivers and natural features, Māori co-governance of conservation estates, restoring native biodiversity, and phasing out all single-use plastics.
Simple explanation
Apply the Māori concept of guardianship to protecting nature, give rivers legal rights as living entities, and let Māori co-govern conservation areas.
Te Pāti Māori's Crime & Justice Policy
Te Pāti Māori advocates for addressing Māori over-imprisonment as a Treaty obligation, kaupapa Māori justice models, Rangatahi Courts, repealing three strikes legislation, addressing systemic racism, and investing in communities to prevent crime rather than increasing incarceration.
Simple explanation
Fix the fact that Māori make up over 50% of prisoners, use Māori justice practices, repeal three strikes laws, and invest in communities to prevent crime.
Te Pāti Māori's Transport Policy
Te Pāti Māori supports free public transport, investing in active transport in urban Māori communities, ensuring rural Māori communities have adequate transport access, and a Treaty-based approach to roading projects that affect Māori land.
Simple explanation
Make public transport free, build cycling and walking paths in Māori communities, improve transport in rural areas, and consult Māori on roading projects through their land.
Te Pāti Māori's Infrastructure Policy
Te Pāti Māori advocates for investment in infrastructure on Māori land, Three Waters reform that recognises Māori rights to freshwater, broadband access for rural Māori communities, and a Treaty-based approach to all infrastructure decisions affecting Māori interests.
Simple explanation
Invest in water and broadband on Māori land, recognise Māori rights to freshwater in any water reform, and involve Māori in all big infrastructure decisions.
Te Pāti Māori's Employment Policy
Te Pāti Māori supports a $25 minimum wage, a universal basic income, addressing the higher unemployment rates among Māori, investment in Māori enterprises, strong union rights, and employment programmes targeted at Māori communities and rangatahi (youth).
Simple explanation
Raise the minimum wage, give everyone a basic income, address Māori unemployment, invest in Māori businesses, and create jobs for young Māori.
Te Pāti Māori's Small Business Policy
Te Pāti Māori supports investment in the Māori economy and Māori-owned small businesses, preferential government procurement from Māori enterprises, access to capital for Māori entrepreneurs, and removing barriers to business on Māori land.
Simple explanation
Invest in Māori-owned businesses, give Māori enterprises preference for government contracts, help Māori entrepreneurs access funding, and remove barriers to business on Māori land.
Te Pāti Māori's Agriculture Policy
Te Pāti Māori supports Māori farming and whenua Māori (Māori land) development, investment in papakainga (Māori community farming), fair water rights for Māori land holders, and transitioning to sustainable Māori-led agricultural practices that align with kaitiakitanga.
Simple explanation
Invest in Māori farming, support development of Māori land for agriculture, ensure Māori have fair water access, and promote sustainable farming practices.
Te Pāti Māori's Māori Affairs Policy
Te Pāti Māori's entire platform is built on tino rangatiratanga — full Māori self-determination. They advocate for Māori co-governance, Treaty-based constitutional change, full implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Māori language revival, and addressing systemic inequities.
Simple explanation
Fight for Māori self-determination, Treaty-based constitutional change, co-governance of all resources, revival of te reo Māori, and fixing all the inequities Māori face.
Te Pāti Māori's Foreign Policy
Te Pāti Māori advocates for an indigenous foreign policy framework recognising New Zealand's Pacific identity, solidarity with indigenous peoples globally, opposition to nuclear weapons and military alliances, stronger Pacific climate finance, and a more independent stance from Western military networks.
Simple explanation
Build foreign policy around our Pacific identity and indigenous values, oppose nuclear weapons and military alliances, support Pacific nations facing climate change, and be more independent internationally.
Te Pāti Māori's Energy Policy
Te Pāti Māori supports rapid decarbonisation of the energy sector, community and hapū ownership of renewable energy, ensuring Māori share in renewable energy revenues, and addressing energy poverty in Māori communities through subsidised clean energy.
Simple explanation
Move quickly to renewable energy, let Māori communities own wind and solar projects, ensure Māori benefit from NZ's renewable energy wealth, and fix energy poverty in Māori households.
Te Pāti Māori's Social Welfare Policy
Te Pāti Māori supports a universal basic income of $385 per week, removal of all benefit sanctions, addressing the over-representation of Māori in poverty and welfare dependency, a disability support system based on mana (dignity), and free healthcare and childcare to reduce cost pressures.
Simple explanation
Give everyone $385 a week as a basic income, remove all penalties from the welfare system, fix Māori poverty, support disabled people with dignity, and provide free childcare and healthcare.