Willie Jackson: Labour MP on the passing of Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Moana Natasha Kemp

Labour's Willie Jackson will attend Kemp's tangi in Taihape over the weekend. 

 Te Pāti Māori's Takutai Moana Natasha Kemp died today aged 50, following a battle with kidney disease.

He says Labour isn't thinking about the by-election triggered in Tāmaki Makaurau.

"We'll turn our mind to it next week - and we don't mind having a chat about it as we get into it. But it's not something we should probably be talking about at the moment."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good afternoon. Parliament has risen for the day, paying tribute
to Mary Party MP Taku Ta tash KEMP, who died
unexpectedly overnight. She had suffered from kidney disease. Her death
will now trigger a by election in the Maori electorate
of Tamaki Makoto. Labour's Willie Jackson was a friend high Willie. Yeah,
to hear that, well, obviously my condolence is what happened?

(00:20):
I mean, she was at Parliament yesterday, so what happened overnight?

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yeah, Well, she's been on dialysis and so you know
she's getting that three or four times a week, and
you know it's tough on the body. And I think
that's just a reaction from what I what I've heard,
and you know, and died. I think she died in
this seat from what from what I've heard. So I'm

(00:44):
just on the way to see the airport and hopefully
we'll be able to catch up with at the toney
later today.

Speaker 1 (00:51):
Did she did she seem well yesterday when she was
at Parliament?

Speaker 2 (00:55):
Well, she seemed well last week when we were in
you know, we're in scrutiny week into was given it
to a relations tom of Portucker in the Selite Committee,
and you know, it's it's a it's terrible that the
kidney disease, you just you just don't know, you know,
some people can manage it for a few years. And
she's head that I think for the last you know,

(01:16):
last year or two, and it just it just came
up on it. I mean, she's a lovely woman. Touch
she's I knew her well because we worked in the
Urban Movement before. You know, she was the CEO out
in South Brooklyn there and it's done a lot of
great work with young people in the employment area and vivacious.
Probably a bit quiet in Parliament, but probably a lot

(01:37):
of the reasons for that have been because of the thickness,
because of the poor health.

Speaker 1 (01:44):
Was she waiting for a kidney.

Speaker 2 (01:47):
I'm not sure either. I'm not sure to tell you
the truth.

Speaker 1 (01:51):
I mean, I suppose you probably probably was. Will I
if you're waiting, if you're doing dialysis that often you
would be, wouldn't you.

Speaker 2 (01:57):
Yeah, you know she was only fifteen. Yeah, we won't
even blinking. You want old like myself, you know. Yeah,
she won in the sixties, so you know, it's a
bit of a it was a bit of a shock.
It was good. Don't know if you saw parliament. Parliament
come together pretty well. I had to compliment everyone, including
you know your mates, you know, David seymore on them.

(02:20):
I have that Shane Jones that it's quite funny. Really
we're all going at each other one day. But if
you can't come together for something like that, I suppose
we're all keys.

Speaker 1 (02:30):
That's right, Well, we're all keywis in the en. Now look,
I mean it might be premature me asking this, and
so I'm sorry because it is slightly callous. But obviously
there will be a by election at some stage. Have
you turned your mind to it or is it too early?

Speaker 2 (02:42):
I will tell you that if we haven't even you
know like it just you know Penny he Nady obviously
is the candidate and he you know, he's taking it
really badly. You know, those people have gett a bit
shocked by that because some people would have would say
he was done out of them knew there was sea,
but you know he's saw tasks like a sister. It's

(03:03):
maldi politicians for you sometimes, you know, as I said
in the house, you know he had a bit of
a tonguey a bit of a bit of a bit
of a cry, and these are genuine tears, you know.
And when we did a press conference earlier today and
even in the house, we haven't to tell you the truth.
We haven't turned down mind to it. We're going to
go to the tonguey. She's going to be a twenty

(03:25):
way to Timura. Then she'll be going down to tai
happiir to be buried over the weekend. So it's going
to be a long few days and we'll turn our
mind to it next week. And don't mind having a
bit of a chat with you probably you know, as
we get into it, but it's not something that we
probably should be talking about at the moment.

Speaker 1 (03:43):
All right, Willie listen, Thanks very much, appreciated. Go well,
Willie Jackson, Labor Party MP.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
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