Te Ururoa Flavell: Former Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader on Mariameno Kapa-Kingi forming her own political party to contest the election

Te Tai Tokerau is shaping up to be an electorate to watch this election. 

MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi is splitting from Te Pāti Māori to form her own party after months of ructions between her and the party's leaders. 

She'll run in her electorate under a party of the same name.  

Former Māori Party Co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell told Mike Hosking she could win the seat as she has a foothold in an electorate already. 

But he says history is typically against smaller parties – particularly those wrapped around a single individual.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Enjoy your time left with Madame and a Kapa Kingi
because she's starting her own party and history tells us
that's basically the end of that. The bigger question, of
course also is she the only one? And what's it
mean for the Maori Party itself to or flavel has
been there, done that and he's back with.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Us morning mate, Hey cure.

Speaker 1 (00:14):
What is it with Marie politicians that they always seem
to end up falling out with each other?

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Well, it doesn't necessarily should with mighty MP's as well.
It happens in mainstream parties. But I mean, you know,
in this particular case, she had pretty much not too
many options, been ostracized in a sense by the party
orbit the court case win in favor, so she didn't
have too many choices. But she's sort of tried that
hook of the taittle hero, which may well sort of

(00:43):
give her a hand and there's an element of hope
because you know, one or two parties could be the
difference at the next election. But on the other hand,
as you say, history is pretty much against the small
parties in particular those who are are sort of wrapped
around one individual just just doesn't happen in Mighty polity.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
Has she got any standing in the Electric or not?

Speaker 2 (01:03):
I think she has, But the downsider she's got some
two other MP's current MPs Lindon as well as will
jan Prime and Mighty Party haven't selected their candidate yet.
So you've got four probably women, all who know each other,
all probably related to each other, all want the same
for our people. They're just coming under a different political banner.
And history says that probably when it gets these sorts

(01:26):
of situations, our people will go back to mothership with
the Labor Labor and see what happens for another three years,
and then who knows what's going to happen after that.

Speaker 1 (01:36):
See, that's why I don't understand her. Is if the
Labor Party win all the Maori seats, which is entirely possible,
they've shot themselves on the foot of the big government,
haven't they. They need a third player. The third players
now gone and they've destroyed them.

Speaker 2 (01:49):
Well that's true, but it's all about numbers, as you know,
and it could be you know, if it's very tight
and poles go up and down. But if it's very tight,
just one or two parties could make the small parties
could make the difference in fact, one or two individuals.
I mean, as my experience was, we had two in
Peace National Party just needed that guarantee to get them
over the line to have stable government. They asked myself

(02:12):
and one another to be in there. So you just
two individuals to make one hell of a difference as
to whether you're going to be the government of the day.
And therefore you know she's got every chance as anybody else.
But the downside is people need to understand how the
politics have it all rolls in, particularly on the election right,
because as I say, if they put one or two
people in the right place, then actually they could be

(02:32):
the king maker.

Speaker 1 (02:33):
Tucker to feris is he going to go? Do we
know or not?

Speaker 2 (02:37):
I haven't heard anything whatsoever, but I suspect that, you know,
he's independent. As he sits, I think he'll possibly stay there.
He hasn't got too many choices himself, and he finds
himself pretty much the same dilemma.

Speaker 1 (02:48):
The only thing I can think of, you know more
than I do, But is Rahwarri big enough and his
electorate to potentially beat Labor off.

Speaker 2 (02:55):
Well it comes down to that sort of split boat
and how much damage the whole argue with respect to
the Mori Party has caused. And I say, in terms
of what I've heard around the electorate years, people have
been turned off by the whole saga. They're over it,
and so he's still very popular, put it that way.
But there's two other candidates that have been one that

(03:16):
was at the last election and Tania Waitottor now who's
come into the frame, is very well known across the
social media platform. So you know, all of them are
going to be a very tight race and it's going
to be interesting. I reckon we should just hang off
of it, see where the dice rolls a little bit
more next three or four months and we'll see exactly
where everything means.

Speaker 1 (03:34):
Good stop, Good talk to you, Mike, appreciate it to
Udo Flabble, former Maori Party code leader, of course. For
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