20 Oct 2020

'We stand on the shoulders of tīpuna' - Māori MP Rawiri Waititi

From Checkpoint, 5:43 pm on 20 October 2020

The Māori Party's Rawiri Waititi - donning his cowboy hat and a giant pounamu necklace - touched down at parliament today for the first time since winning the Waiariki electorate.

He narrowly beat Labour's Tamati Coffey for the seat in a nail-biting finish, winning by just over 400 votes.

If Waititi comes out on top after the special votes are counted, he'll return the Māori Party to Parliament.

He told RNZ reporter Te Aniwa Hurihanganui walking into Parliament was daunting, and he now knows what it must feel like for Pākehā walking onto a marae.