Election 2026: Mana on the line as battle for Māori seats heats up
The Labour Party has launched a campaign to reclaim Māori seats from Te Pāti Māori ahead of the 2026 election. Labour candidates are focusing on grassroots engagement to win back voters in electorates that shifted away from the party in 2023.
Why it matters
The battle for Māori seats is a critical component of New Zealand's political landscape and the future of indigenous representation in Parliament.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins with senior MP Willie Jackson at Waitangi earlier this year. Photo / Jason Dorday
The mana and pride of Labour and Te Pāti Māori is on the line as the battle for the Māori seats heats up.
Te Pāti Māori is trying to tighten its grip on the six seats it has, while Labour on Saturday launched an all-out campaign to win them back.
Labour launched its Māori campaign at Wainuiomata marae which sits in Ikaroa-Rāwhiti, the only Māori electorate Labour won in 2023 with Cushla Tangaere-Manuel.
“This time, I’m going to be taking six mates with me back to Parliament,” Tangaere-Manuel said in the packed wharekai to a raucous applause.
The audience wore hoodies with “Push for Cush!” or their local Labour MP’s name emblazoned on them. But it is not this audience Labour needs to convince.
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