National Iwi Chairs Forum chairperson Bayden Barber is playing a role in trying to reconcile disaffected factions within Te Pāti Māori. Photo: RNZ / Kate Green
Te Pāti Māori's co-leaders and their offside MPs are set to meet on Thursday to try to find headway in their open conflict.
The party is in crisis, with party president John Tamihere calling on Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and Tākuta Ferris to "do the honourable thing" and step down while Tamihere said there was "a process in play" for the two MPs to be expelled from the party.
That's after a petition saying Tamihere should be the one standing down.
As well, there are allegations of intimidation and financial mismanagement
Iwi leaders are hopeful they can bring Te Pāti Māori MPs back together and make the party a credible force leading into next year's election.
National Iwi Chairs Forum chairperson Bayden Barber believes outstanding issues can be patched up.
At a hui he led yesterday, party co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer agreed to meet with the estranged MPs.
Barber said after the meeting at Parliament the factions of the party would be brought together for a hui on a marae in Pōneke.
He told Morning Report the first priority he stressed at the meeting was the need for "a ceasefire" on all social media barbs which hadn't been helpful.
He also wanted to see a hui to thrash out the issues in the hope of a resolution so that Te Pāti Māori could go on to play a part in the next government.
While the problems among the party's caucus were serious they weren't "insurmountable".
"Our view would be let's get to a hui and face to face between the parties and go from there."
He wanted a a pause on any "consitutional stuff" such as moves to expel the two disaffected MPs.
While there was talk of a coup and expulsion, the two factions weren't talking to each other.
Barber said the crisis appeared to have begun when Kapa-Kingi objected to the loss of the whip role within the party, however, he was a little unsure on the core problem.
"It's headed south since."
Ferris had agreed to a meeting this week, while Barber was still trying to contact Kapa-Kingi.
"We'll sit down, put those issues on the table ... let's get to a hui face to face on the marae in Pōneke and let's work things out."
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