Tāmaki Makaurau by-election: Two days left to vote

The Tāmaki Makaurau by-election is an opportunity to realise how important "our voices are in this political climate", a University of Auckland student says.

Jimah Ruland-Umata told RNZ he was a firm believer that "you shouldn't be complaining about the government if you don't vote".

The Tāmaki Makaurau electorate had just two more days to cast a vote for its chosen candidate in the by-election for the Māori seat.

Front-runners, Te Pāti Māori's Oriini Kaipara and Labour's Peeni Henare, are vying for the mandate of nearly 44,000 Māori in Auckland.

Almost half of those enrolled are under 40.

As of Wednesday, only 4291 people had cast an ordinary vote.

Ruland-Umata, 24, of Te Arawa descent, is a pharmacology student at the central Auckland university.

He said that number was "shocking" and "eye-opening".

He acknowledged the unfortunate passing of Takutaki Tarsh Kemp, and spoke of the importance for Auckland to "have their say".

"Especially for Tāmaki Makaurau, given that this region has the biggest diaspora of Māori that come from all throughout the country that live here."

He spoke too of the "very, very young demographic" in the electorate, and said it was interesting to see how political parties and leaders were engaging with that demographic.

"It's all really tailored towards social media ... it's all on TikTok and Instagram.

"Gone are the days where they start door knocking and giving out pamphlets and seeing people at the markets and things like that."

Speaking to RNZ on Thursday afternoon, he had already cast his vote, but said he had changed his mind at the last minute, "It was a huge decision for me".

"I got to the voting booth, and I was about to tick Peeni Henare and I changed my mind last minute," he said, voting instead for Oriini Kaipara.

He said both candidates aligned with his values and acknowledged Henare's political experience.

Ruland-Umata said he had a "huge appreciation" for what Henare had done for Tāmaki Makaurau, but it came down to giving Tāmaki Makaurau a "bigger opportunity".

"It's a much more impactful if we have two strong stalwarts from Auckland, speaking for Auckland, speaking for Tāmaki."

Housing was a key issue, he said, "There's lots of people out on the streets that don't need to be out on the streets."

"There's lots of people that are in very dire and unfortunate circumstances."

The biggest opportunity for any sort of government "trying to fix Auckland", he said, "is to make Auckland a place that welcomes people, that isn't a haven for the drugs and the bad behaviour that happens on the streets, especially for us as youth".

"We see all of that in our day-to-day lives as we walk down the streets. And I can imagine for all of us, it's really impactful on how we perceive the world and how we grow and develop."

On the low voter turnout so far, Ruland-Umata said the by-election was poor timing given Koroneihana was happening "just down the road".

But he said it was "on us" to encourage the younger demographic, many who would be voting for the first time, to get out and vote.

"Hopefully in these last couple of days it's a huge push for all of Tāmaki to have their say."

Final days of campaign

Both Labour and Te Pāti Māori spoke this week of a need to reach people directly and encourage them to get out and vote.

The campaign had seen the candidates take part in a range of debates and visits to schools, markets and malls, with the focus now being "on those streets", Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi said.

"We must be getting into those communities and we must be talking to the whānau."

RNZ spoke to both the front-runners in the lead-up, asking why Tāmaki Makaurau should vote for them.

Henare spoke of his experience and ability to deliver for Tāmaki Makaurau again, and Kaipara spoke about her passion for the electorate and her personal experience.

Most of the campaign had been conducted with a respectful tone, but on Thursday Te Pāti Māori apologised for a post by one of its MPs, attacking the Labour party.

Both parties had signalled the importance of this by-election in the lead-up to the general election next year.

On Wednesday, Labour leader Chris Hipkins said changing the government at the next election was at stake in this by-election.

"If people want to actually change the government at the next election, and they want to guarantee that they're going to have a strong voice around the Cabinet table in the next government, then Peeni Henare is the obvious choice for them."

Similarly, whilst advocating for Kaipara, Rawiri Waititi spoke on Tuesday about making the last day of voting a "day where we stand up".

"Because if we don't, you end up with a government that we've got right now. If you don't do politics, politics is definitely going to do you."

He said the party had been able to present a "formidable candidate" to "our people" as a viable voice in Parliament and "for the movement".

On election day, 84 voting places would be open across Auckland from 9am to 7pm when polls close.

Results should become clear by about 10.30pm on Saturday.

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