Former television news presenter Oriini Kaipara has launched a bid to enter Parliament, seeking selection as Te Pāti Māori’s candidate for the Tāmaki Makaurau seat by-election.
The seat has been vacant following the death of MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp last month.
Kaipara, who was most recently a presenter for Newshub, shared the announcement on social media. The announcement does not mean Kaipara is the candidate for the party.
“Kua eke te wā. It’s time,” she wrote in an Instagram post.
Te Pāti Māori has launched a process to select its candidate to run in the Māori electorate with expressions of interest closing on Wednesday and a selection hui held this Thursday.
A date for a by-election to fill the vacant seat has not yet been announced.
1News understands other candidates are likely to throw their hat into the ring to become Te Pāti Māori’s candidate in the by-election.
Labour MP and former Tāmaki Makaurau seatholder Peeni Henare has not yet said whether he will choose to contest the seat for his party.
Kemp narrowly defeated Henare after a recount of votes at the last election.
Kaipara (Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Rangitihi) worked for over two decades as a broadcaster, including for Whakaata Māori and TVNZ. She made headlines in 2019 for becoming the first person with moko kauae to present a mainstream news bulletin.
Kemp had been on dialysis as she battled kidney disease. (Source: 1News)
After leaving the media in 2023, she became the NZ Olympic Committee’s Pouwhiringa Māori culture lead and worked as a public speaker, according to her LinkedIn profile.
If a Te Pāti Māori candidate wins the byelection, the party keeps its total at 6 MPs.
But if Henare — who is already a list MP — stands and wins the seat for Labour, then he becomes an electorate MP and therefore his party would be able to bring their next person on the list who is Georgie Dansey. Labour would go from 34 to 35 seats.
If another party wins the race, there would be no change to the overall number of MPs.
In all scenarios the number of MPs in Parliament remains at 123 due to the overhang.
