He kotahi na Turahira ka horu te moana. E te rangatira aporei o Rongowhakaata e Lewis, kia aumarire te moe. Ko Mihingarangi tenei e mihi atu nei, e tangi atu nei. Welcome to The Hui, Maori current affairs for all New Zealanders. Coming up this morning ` She's a new Maori MP, a new mum, and she's a passionate East Coastie who's got big plans for Maori in her rohe. Kiritapu Allan trades in law for politics and joins Labour's Maori caucus. I go in with my eyes wide open about what you pragmatically can achieve in here. For me, tino rangatiratanga and our mana motuhake, that comes from us. Yup. This system can't give it to us. And we meet the wahine who are leaving their mark on the world. Their stories are leaving a lasting impression. Every single person I've done, it's been really special. Especially when I hear back from them. The most beautiful part of this mahi is that you actually feel like you can contribute to someone's life in a positive way. Karahuihui mai. They say in gambling, you gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em and know when to walk away. That's exactly what Labour's Maori candidates did this year. The six Maori seat MPs removed themselves from the party list. they took a punt and came up trumps, but that wasn't all. A further seven of Labour's Maori candidates have won a place in Parliament. One of those is coastie Kiritapu Allan. Raiha Paki caught up with her as she headed off to the new job. Kiritapu Allan used to march on Parliament. Today, she's marching into it as one of Labour's new Maori MPs. Last week was all a bit overwhelming. This week it's like coming back to school. But these plush hallways of Parliament are a far cry from where she was raised. Not only is she a new MP, she's also a new mum. Her wife Natalie Coates giving birth to the couple's first child Hiwa-i-te-Rangi while Kiritapu was on the campaign trail. How are you doing with no sleep and Parliament mahi? Yeah, that was neat. I got home last night at 10.30, then she was awake from 1.30 to 5.30. (LAUGHS) It's a different kind of energy that you need for bubba. She makes me feel very tau, very quickly. (BABY GRIZZLES) A lawyer by trade, Kiritapu is one of 10 siblings. She grew up in the small Bay of Plenty settlement of Paengaroa. Her wife Natalie is also from the bay, and the couple married here in Whakatane almost two years ago. While Natalie keeps the home fires burning, Kiri does her part too. I'm the kope changer. (LAUGHS) And the baby whisperer. I gotta do all the oriori in the morning. (LAUGHS) Ae. That's important. So 5 to 6, that's our wa karakia, wa oriori. The big challenge for us is that we want our whare to be primarily a reo kainga, so it's good for me, give me an hour's practise in the mornings with her. There's no sleeping in, though. On the first morning since the election, Kiritapu is taking me on a tiki tour to see her East Coast electorate, that stretches from Gisborne to Edgecumbe. Kia ora. Hey. Kia or. Chur. You brought me to Kawerau. Centre of the universe. Who lives here? Well, this is an old working town. About 20 years ago, we had 2000 people working at the mill. Now it's dropped down to 400. Kawerau's been a real focus for me, I guess. I love this town. My in-laws are from here, so that helps persuade my affinities. Yeah, you married in. It's full of our people, working class people here. It's a town that needs a lot of help. Kawerau is a town that didn't vote for Labour in the 2014 election, but they have since had a change of heart. In the East Coast electorate, Kiritapu almost halved the majority of incumbent MP Anne Tolley and increased Labour's party vote by more than 10%. Thanks for all your guys' support. I appreciate it. That's all right. Next stop on our tiki tour, Kopeopeo in Whakatane. Its dioxin-contaminated canal is a legacy from the former sawmill, but it's housing that has the locals worried. So what have you promised the people of Kopeopeo? I never make a promise I can't keep, so all I can do is promise to advocate, be a loud voice on behalf of our whanau, for our whanau. So, the things are around homes here. We've got a rising rate of homelessness, like I said. Overcrowding? Overcrowding, homelessness. In these doorsteps in the evenings, you come down, homelessness. We grew up in this area, and we didn't have people living under shelters. This is the area that earlier this year saw a stand-off between the Black Power and the Mongrel Mob. Kiritapu says even though these communities have their difficulties, they also have heart. I think when you have a whakapapa relationship to everyone in the rohe, that means you're a little bit more accountable. (LAUGHS) Yeah. Yeah. True that. (LAUGHS) They know where you live. (LAUGHS) They know where your nannies and koros live! And they now where she works. Kiritapu, with her wife and baby in tow, gives us the grand tour of her new tari. We run into her boss, Labour Party leader Jacinda Ardern. Kia ora. And how are you going, mate? You good? Yeah. How are you? Have you had some time off yet? Not yet, but soon. OK, good. Good, good. Kiritapu says Jacinda's leadership signals a new era in Labour's relationship with Maori,... How are you? Good. ...a relationship that's taken over a decade to recover from after Labour's foreshore and seabed legislation all but destroyed their connection with Maori. Kiritapu was 18 at the time and had just finished a year interning in Helen Clark's office. At the time, where did it sit with you? It was heartbreaking. Ka pai. So you tautoko Jacinda's stance, then, that she wouldn't have done it? I think what I was mostly aggrieved about was the fact that there was this right to access the courts, and the courts would go through a process to determine what was appropriate at that time, but we were legislating that away, so that seemed to me to be quite egregious. Kiritapu knows the high expectations of her community, and she hopes to advocate for the kaupapa that she's passionate about, like health and safety in forestry and housing issues. These are all of our former leaders. There's some incredible, formidable characters ` David Lange, '84. I go in with my eyes wide open about what you pragmatically can achieve in here. In my personal view` For me, tino rangatiratanga and our mana motuhake, those are things that I have always been an ardent believer that that comes from us. Yeah. This system can't give it to us. Yes. So what kind of politician would Kiritapu like to be? She says doesn't need to look any further than her own rohe for inspiration ` to the late great Honourable Parekura Horomia. He was a kanohi kitea. He worked hard to know the names of every single mokopuna and their whakapapa. Whilst I won't be able to scratch the surface in terms of his matauranga, I do hope to be a people's politician and a people's person. For now, it's about getting used to this new role and settling the whanau into the new lifestyle. Wife Natalie is with her all the way. So you're not scared to tell her off, then, or bring her into line? (LAUGHS) No. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) Kao. (LAUGHS) Mate, she's the boss. Nah, we've always sort of been each others' sound check, which I think is always good, to have someone who's just straight up honest. Natalie's a lawyer as well, and if she tells me I'm off point, I'm usually off point. (ALL LAUGH) Na Raiha Paki tera purongo. Kia mau tonu mai ra, he korero torangapu te haere ake nei. The special votes are in, so what impact will they have on Winston? We ask our political commentators next. Hoki mai ano. Well, the gap between the left and the right sides of Parliament just got smaller, following the announcement of the special votes. Until yesterday, Parliament looked like this ` The National party held 58 seats, and the Labour and Green bloc held a combined 52 seats. Those numbers now look like this ` The National Party loses two seats, the Green Party and the Labour Party gaining one each. Joining us now to explain are our political commentators Scott Campbell and Morgan Godfery. Tena korua. So, James Shaw has said they've got a moral mandate now; Jacinda Ardern says their mandate's been strengthened; and Bill English is saying that he can now form a strong and stable government. What do you make of the numbers and those statements? Well, everybody's trying to claim that they're in the best position to try and woo Winston across the line. It is game on, and it's a very real possibility now that Jacinda Ardern could be the prime minister by the end of the week ` by the end of next week. In the previous situation, it gave Labour, the Greens and New Zealand First one-seat majority, and that was never going to be enough, really, because one rogue MP and we go back to the polls. But this now makes it a real opportunity for Jacinda Ardern, James Shaw and Winston Peters to form some sort of government. In the press conference there, Morgan, she talked about she will negotiate with the Greens and she will negotiate with New Zealand First. She was pressed on whether there would be some kind of three-way, and she just wouldn't budge. Do you think that's a sensible response? Most likely. I don't think Winston would accept sitting at the same table as the Greens and doing a three-way negotiation, but getting the Greens out the way is probably the easy part. The hard part is Winston, because now he is in the strongest position because it's quite plausible that he could go both left and right, whereas the day after the election, it looked more plausible that he would go right. So, actually, Winston looks like the one in the box seat now rather than Jacinda or Bill English. The numbers ` did you expect those numbers to come in like that? There had been some kind of talk that maybe the younger voters were going to be blue voters, but it didn't really pan out that way. Oh, it never pans out that way ` (LAUGHS) not with young people. But there was no youthquake. There was a slight bias for the left in those special votes, but that's always the case. The last three elections, the left has gained, I think, between one and two seats off those special votes, so it's actually no different from previous elections this time around. Jacinda and the Labour Party would've wanted that youthquake, that big turnout in universities, polytechs, wherever else, but it just didn't happen this time. Let's not pretend to know what Winston will ever do, but let's have a look at, say, how aligned is New Zealand First with the Nats? What are some policies there that they could work together on? Well, there are policies that they could work together on ` a number of them. I think you would see a change in the immigration from the government, that they will go down that line. I think that they would probably` Sorry, the National Party. They would probably soften as well too on some of the superannuation stuff to try and get Winston across the line. And then there's ministerial roles that will be up for discussion under the potential of a National government. Again, with the other side of Labour Party, there are positions that he is pretty strong on and aligned to them. I think the number one that we've seen this week, at least, is Pike River and what happens there. And that will be the discussion point, no doubt, tomorrow, when they meet. What do you think Maori voters will want to see from this situation? I think the big concern at the moment is the Maori seats. So I think that would be the number one thing is seeing the Maori seats retained, which looks increasingly likely as Winston's kind of softened` Do you think he's softening on that? He went on Australian television to tell Andrew Bolt, who's a notorious right-wing pundit ` well, racist pundit ` in Australia. So of all places to announce his backdown on the Maori seats, he did it there. So that was a very big sign that he's not really taking that` He's still talking about regional development. He's talking about the ports. Last week, I talked to some Maori up north in the forestry, and when you look at how many Maori MPs from the north ` you've got Prime, Marcroft, Davis, Henare, Jones and Winston himself, and I've probably missed some. The north will be pretty well represented there. You think? Yeah, and so it should be. It's an area that's probably been lacking, and this has been one of Winston's key messages for the last six years ` that the north has been lacking in attention. You know, National, in the last government, said that it was going to build 10 bridges, and not one has been done yet. So I think where Winston is going is he's looking three years out ` what happens in 2020? ` and making sure that there's still a New Zealand First party post-that. So what can he stitch up now to ensure that happens? Things like Pike River will be a legacy-type project for him. If he can try and get that across the line, that'll be huge for the people of Pike but also the rest of the country who's been watching that. Northland ` I think it'll be really great if our Maori MPs up in Northland, if they are in government come the end of next week, that's gonna be awesome for the people of the north and a big responsibility for the likes of Kelvin Davis, of Peeni, of Marama Davidson. Do you think it's`? You know, Maori would say it's really helpful having this whanaungatanga between the individuals of the Labour Party and New Zealand First, which National doesn't really seem to have with them. Do you think that's powerful? I think so, but sometimes whakapapa makes things a little bit harder (CHUCKLES) rather than easier. So I guess we have to wait and see, but people have talked up the relationship between Shane and Kelvin or the relationship, or lack of relationship, between Shane and the rest of the Labour Party caucus. Because when you look at Winston and Shane and the rest of his caucus, they don't have history with the current Labour Party caucus, or not many in there. But when you look at the opposing National Party caucus, actually, there's a bit of history there, and there's a bit of history of working together. Whether that was a positive history or a negative one, I'm not too sure. I guess that's if you're saying that Shane Jones is in a key seat, then, because if you think about Peeni Henare, Winston Peters and that alignment, there is a little bit more of a relationship formed there. Can I just ask you a question about what happens now for the Maori Party's gains? If you think about Whanau Ora. I know Te Ture Whenua never went through, but it's still sitting there. Does that mean that gets rammed through if a National government gets in, or does it get thrown out? Can they be guaranteed that some of those projects are safe? Yeah, I think it entirely, obviously, depends on who's in government, but if National is still in government, then things like Te Ture Whenua will still be there, because it's a project that the Nats were the ones that were actually really trying to push that. The Maori Party have picked it up. But Winston wasn't keen? Winston wasn't` Well, Winston wasn't that keen on it because it was Northland; there was a lot confusion around Northland. Things like Whanau Ora, that was a pet hate of Winston's throughout the last term, so I think that those will be discussions that will be had, but I think from a Maori perspective, if we have the Labour Party, who are now in government, then we will definitely see Te Ture Whenua go, because they were dead against that. I think Whanau Ora` Well, who really knows where they stood on Whanau Ora? But I think from a Maori perspective, we're gonna have a lot of power. I think Winston is vindicated in holding out until yesterday for these votes, and good on him for doing so. He's in the strongest position now. Te Matawai, that was an interesting law ` you know, the, kind of, super-board of all boards, which was for Te Reo Maori, and that's supported, obviously, cos it was the Maori Party. Labour was a bit cold on it, but New Zealand First wasn't a supporter of that. Could something happen there? Cos that's responsible for broadcasting; it's got so many knock-on effects, that. Quite possible, cos it also plays into one of Winston's pet hates, and that's bureaucracy, or 'bro-reaucracy', as he likes to call it. So I think we could see some reform there, because I don't think that the body has worked out. It was meant to be this supervisory body sitting above Te Mangai Paho and everyone else below, but I don't think it's really performed that function, or at least not in the public arena; we haven't seen much influence. So if Winston wanted to make a statement, that would be quite an easy thing for him to do ` a lot easier than taking out Whanau Ora. So what happens now, Scott, in your experience? So they've all spoken. We've not heard anything from Winston yet, but it feels like it's gonna move quite quickly. They'll be in coalition talks today. Winston's given this deadline of being Thursday. That's his final day of going to make a decision. But it'll be game on from today. Minister of Maori Development if it's Labour? Any thoughts, choices? (EXHALES HEAVILY) Kelvin would be the obvious one, but if he's Deputy Prime Minister, maybe not. Could be Nanaia. National? Anyone but Paula Bennett. What do you think, Scott? Any names? I would like to see Peeni Henare in Minister of Maori Economic Development if it is a Labour government. If it's a National one, then it's potentially, I think, a Ron Mark or a Shane Jones ` if Shane wasn't to take Ministry of Primary Industries or one of those. Could Winston Peters be the prime minister? No. No. No. Tena korua. (CHUCKLES) Ka pai. Kei tua nga whakatairanga ka tutaki i nga wahine e tamoko ana i ta raua tohu i runga i te ao. Next we meet the ladies making their mark on the world of tamoko. Kei te matakitaki koutou i a Te Hui. The tamoko renaissance has seen more and more Maori choosing to wear their cultural identity on the outside, and while both wahine and tane are going under the gun, it's usually a man holding it. But Tuwharetoa ta moko artist Pip Hartley is on a mission to change that. She wants to see more wahine making their mark on what's been a male-dominated art form. Rewa Harriman headed to her Karanga Ink studios to meet the women who are causing a buzz. They're leaving their mark on the world. With every tattoo, a new story. But for Tuwharetoa ta moko artist Pip Hartley and tatau artist Tyla Vaeau Ta'ufo'ou, their mahi isn't just skin deep, it's a calling. It's something that I envisage doing my entire life. It's something that I love, and I really see as a privilege and an honour to do this work. I don't really see it as a job, to be honest. It's more of a passion. I love that it brings people closer to themselves, to their tupuna, their culture. Pip created her studio Karanga Ink as a safe space for wahine to showcase their talents, a place to design, ink and pursue the arts. I just wanted the foundation of this place to be set in a mana wahine vibe. It's awesome working with other women, other female tattoo artists. It's a very friendly, family-oriented, cosy, welcoming space. It's definitely our space. It's a career path Pip never saw coming. I actually had no aspiration to be a tattoo artist at all, at that point. I always loved art. Art was definitely my number one passion, I actually wanted to be an interior designer. (CHUCKLES) Now, I'm an exterior designer ` on bodies. Pip started training at 18 years of age. 15 years on, she's now taking a leading role in getting more girls on the guns. I think it's important for us as wahine to create that sisterhood and have each other's back. It's a real privilege to be able to work with Pip, who's been in the industry for a lot longer than I have and offers her own guidance and mentorship as well. Tattooing has been a labour of love for Tyla, in between study and raising a family. I've been designing tattoos for a long time, but wasn't until after art school that I started tattooing myself. I did a bachelor of fine arts at Elam and a BA in art history. Through my studies, tatau was a big part of that in terms of looking into the history and doing more research on pacific arts, heritage arts. And I eventually went on to do a thesis, a masters thesis, that focused on Samoan tatau. Tyla proudly brings her Samoan background and knowledge to the studio, helping her connect to clients and their stories. In terms of the designing aspect, I really like the collaborative side of things and meeting people and hearing their stories, and hearing about their heritage and where they come from and where their parents come from and trying to weave that into a story. More wahine like Tyla are taking up the art form and bringing their feminine vibe to what used to be a very male-dominated industry. When I meet people and I see their tatau work, I like to play 'guess who did that piece'. So I definitely feel there is a difference, whether it's the feminine touch or it's just about that feminine energy, and how you interpret what you're hearing from the client, and in turn how that comes out in a design. While Tyla has felt very supported in her mahi, she says the misconception that only men tattoo still exists from time to time. For example, if we're at a tattoo convention and my husband is with me, they will automatically assume he's the tattoo artist. It's things like that. I've never been told, 'No, you shouldn't be doing this, because you're a women,' but it's more of an undercurrent, I guess. Maori and Polynesian tattoo's are everywhere. Everyone from sports stars to celebrities have them, but Pip says it's popularity comes at a cost. There are a lot of people in Europe that are doing our patterns, but they don't always have the meaning or the understanding or anything. There's an on-going debate as to whether or not non-Maori should receive ta moko. Pip believes it's a balancing act, between giving people what they want and protecting this taonga. It's like a bird face. How do you manage people's expectations if they're not familiar with ta moko or the culture? It's really just gauging why they want to get it, that's the mine thing. Like, what their intentions are, just how they respect our culture, and our country and our people. That's a big thing for me. If someone came in and just wanted something for egotistical reasons, I'd be inclined to decline. Thankfully, those people are few and far between. Most clientele are like Pip's partner, who want his whanau and tribal stories permanently inked on his skin. For me, I've got a lot of stories to tell. I've had an interesting life, and I enjoy doing it in this format. So Pip's done all your work? Yup. She's done all my work. I'm her blank canvas. It's always getting work from her, because every time I get work from her, I can see and feel her progress. The idea of all my work is all part of a grand masterpiece, where it will be all of Pip's work all there on one person. Nobody else's work, it will be something a complete body piece. You must be proud of Pip and all the mahi she does? Yeah, she's pretty neat alright! (LAUGHS) I'm really proud to be her tane and represent her work in that form as well. It's a special bond we share. These traditional art forms aren't just helping individual's connect to their culture, it's keeping their culture alive. Tatau and ta moko, that's really, like, our first alphabet, right? All our stories were told through symbols, through patterns, through design, so it's really important that tatau and ta moko practices are maintained and that we keep these designs alive. Because through the designs, we have your history and we have your story. Every single piece that I've done has been special, especially when I hear back from them. That's the most beautiful part about this mahi, that you can feel like you contribute to someone's life in a positive way. Na Rewa Harriman tera korero. Coming up next week on The Hui ` A decade ago the came dressed in black, hanging from helicopters and armed with assault weapons. Ironically, the New Zealand police were searching for terrorists. Instead, it was Tuhoe's settlement of Ruatoki who felt terrorised. This was the third time the New Zealand government had invaded the people of Tuhoe. Next week, we remember and reflect on their stories. Thanks for joining us today, Hui Hoppers. We'll post links to the show on our Facebook page and on Twitter @TheHuiNZ, and you'll find all our stories on the Newshub website. Kua hikina Te Hui mo tenei ra. The Nation's next. Pai marire ki a tatou katoa. Captions by Tom Pedlar and Imogen Staines. www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2017