Te Pāti Māori MP Takuta Ferris sparked cross-party condemnation after posting: “This blows my mind. Indians, Asians, blacks, and Pākehā campaigning to take a Māori seat from Māori.”
The remark, aimed at volunteers backing Labour’s candidate in the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election, Peeni Henare, was widely labelled racist, including by Labour’s Willie Jackson.
TPM issued an “apology” claiming their members are experiencing trauma, in part, from the passing of MP Takutai Tarsh-Kemp earlier this year.
Journalist Chris Lynch pushed Megan Woods on whether Labour is willing to stay in bed with Te Pāti Māori despite Ferris’ racism.
“So you got friends that you don’t need,” he said.
Woods tried to soften the blow, calling the remarks “silly” and “not appropriate”, but stopped short of ruling out a coalition with Te Pāti Māori.
National MP James Meagre told Woods, “[Ferris] is the justice spokesperson for [Te Pāti Māori]. So he might well be yours.”
In his concession speech after losing to Te Pāti Māori’s Oriini Kaipara, Henare thanked his volunteers, saying: “Some might slander and some might denigrate them, but I want to be very clear. In this waka, you are all welcome – all shapes, all sizes, all races, all creeds.”
The Electoral Commission has confirmed it is investigating Ferris after breaching election-day rules with an Instagram post urging people to vote for Kaipara, alongside TPM billboards and a gazebo left standing. Ferris, who has participated in numerous elections, said he was unaware of the rules.
Centrist Ltd