- Ikaroa-Rawhiti's gonna be the most-contested seat, I believe, of the Maori seats at the minute. - What do I want from our next MP? Well... (CHUCKLES) What did I get from the last MP? Nothing. - Kaore o matou whakaaro i te paku rite, so we're not all on the same wavelength when it comes to politics. - This is the seat to watch. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2023 - Nau mai ki Te Tai Rawhiti. Behind me is the northern border of the Ikaroa-Rawhiti electorate that's shaping up to be the biggest battle in the Maori seats. Ikaroa-Rawhiti covers more than 600 K's, and we're going to travel from the north here in Wharekahika, all the way to Te Whanganui-a-Tara to find out what the communities of Ikaroa-Rawhiti need from their next MP. Voters here will be deciding between two leading candidates... - Matua ra ki te korero nui o te wa ara. - ...veteran MP Meka Whaitiri, who unexpectedly defected to Te Pati Maori in May. - The decision to cross the floor is not an easy one, but it's the right one. - And former CEO of East Coast Rugby Cushla Tangaere-Manuel, who's been selected as Labour's new candidate. - I want badly to be the representative for Ikaroa-Rawhiti. - We'll talk more about Meka Whaitiri and Cushla Tangaere-Manuel later. First, we're starting our roadie in one of Ikaroa-Rawhiti's most remote settlements ` a place called Matakaoa, where the East Cape meets the East Coast. This is Wharekahika, otherwise known as Hicks Bay and we're here to meet one of this community's staunchest advocates who's prepping for the local Matariki celebrations. (EASY-GOING MUSIC) - Kia ora. - Kia ora! - Kei te aha? - Kei te ora! Haere mai. Pai te kite i a korua, tena korua. Haramai! - How would you describe the wairua of Ikaroa-Rawhiti? - Yeah, our saying 'always battered, never beaten' is quite an apt one for Ikaroa-Rawhiti. Innovative. You know, when nobody comes to your rescue, you learn how to innovate. You know, you can't stay in a place like this unless you deeply, deeply love it for lots of reasons. - And there's a lot to love about Wharekahika, but it's also facing some major challenges. (FILM REEL WHIRRS) From the end of the 1800s, the clearing of native forests made way for farming and the establishment of townships. By the 1960s, more land was cleared for pine forests ` an industry that ramped up after Cyclone Bola in 1988. But people here have had enough. When people say the forestry industry here has lost its social licence, what do they mean? - When the East Coast Forestry Project first came through as a touted solution for Cyclone Bola, they had made huge promises around the fact that it will create employment, you can have passive income on your land, it will hold the rivers in place that'll stop the land from slipping away. And after just one of those rotations, you can see that the impacts are indefensible. You know, they will say, 'Well, it puts food on the table', but it's taken all of our kai that we would normally put on the table out of our awa, out of our coastlines. All of that kai is no longer on the table. And, so, yeah. It's become indefensible now, seeing the impacts upon housing, the impacts upon lives, the amount of lives lost not just through the damage, but even those working in the pine industry. That's what I believe we mean when we say it's lost its social licence. - Tina says climate change is not a new problem here, but it's made worse by forestry slash, and there's been little investment to help this community prepare. Can you give me an example? What would it look like? - You know, it's really not an unfamiliar experience for us for the roads to be closed, for us to be without power, for us to be without internet. Boosting funding for things like helicopter services for communities like ours. Supporting local infrastructure here as well, making first aid education free and accessible to rural, isolated communities so that we have a boosted level of first aid literacy at a population level in communities like ours, so that people are not as dependent upon emergency services that can't get to your community. - There's a saying here that people used to drive on the left of the road; now they drive on what's left of the road. 40 K's down crumbling Highway 35, we hit the tiny town of Tikitiki in the Waiapu Valley. This is Ngati Porou heartland. It's also the home of Labour candidate, Cushla Tangaere-Manuel, and the locals are flying their colours. You've got your red shirt on. - CHUCKLES: Yeah. - Is there a lot of support for Cushla Tangaere-Manuel here? - I think we need her. I think, you know, during the times we've been through ` Gabrielle, I think she's a blessing. I mean, to have her actually on our doorstep and understand what it's like to be trapped and cut off and no power, I think she's gonna be a great candidate. She's probably got a big job, but she's got a ton of support. We'll be there to support her. - Waiapu RSA is also the post office, the takeaways and the dairy and its patrons are straight shooters. What do you want from your next MP? - What do I want from our next MP? (PEOPLE CHATTER INDISTINCTLY) Well... (GIGGLES) What did I get from the last MP? Nothing. (CHUCKLES) But I guess, for our next MP... ` and I won't name names ` but if she gets in, first and foremost, for me, it's home-grown, lives at home. Educated, from the ground. - # Whakarongo. # Ki te reo Maori e karanga nei. - 55 K's on, we reach Tokomaru Bay. - # Whakarongo. # - It might look like a one-horse town now, but it was once a thriving economic centre. Tokomaru had its own bank, a freezing works and a bustling port. But those days are long gone. - (TOOTS HORN) Places like Tokomaru and Te Puia Springs were set up as native townships. In the late 1800s, the Crown took the land from Maori owners and put it into perpetual leases, with an ongoing rite of renewal. - The person with the lease was then able to just roll it over, roll it over, roll it over. It was never to come back to us. - More than a century on, landowners like siblings Quintin Whakataka and Tracy Takarua remain locked out of their whenua. - Well, back in the day, leases are only` I think they were for 21 years. But with the right of renewal, which, you know, straight away alienated people of the land from their lands. - What sort of rental are you getting for the leases? - It's minimal. - They used to called it 'peppercorn'. - 'Peppercorn leases'. - To add salt to the wound, the local sports club, which is built on a Maori burial site, has just had its lease renewed by the local council. When lessees do decide to end their tenancy, the owners have to buy back their land at market value. It's usually out of their reach and so the leases are on-sold. - You know, it's heartbreaking, watching other people do things to our whenua. And while our own whanau and people of the community go without, or live humbly. There's just no growth because we can't access our whenua to` to build on that. - You know, everyone asks, 'Boy. You know, 'We wanna come home. Is there any where we can build?' I said, 'We've got everywhere to build, but we are not allowed to build.' So that's the sad thing ` having people who are away from home who wanna come home, who can't. - RADIO: Iwa miniti hipa atu i te waru karaka i te ata te wa, nga mihi matakuikui ki a koutou katoa... - As we roll into Turanganui-a-Kiwa, we tune in to the local iwi radio station, Turanga FM. Breakfasts host Matai Smith and Rahia Timutimu keep the mood upbeat. - Kaua ko te tiko teretere. (LAUGHS) - Koira te hua o te teretere nei. (BOTH LAUGH) - Ka puta teretere mai. - Ah, yeah. Kia manawanui mai te hunga... - But over the years, the closure of big employers such as Watties and the Freezing Works can make Gisborne feel like a dying city. - Just driving through our main street, there's a hell of a lot of empty buildings. We're still referred to as Poverty Bay, and when you drive down our street, you see Poverty Bay. And so I think the financial situation, the economic situation here in Turanga is a little bit dire, and you can see it ` ka kitea e koe. Empty shops, $2 shops. For me, ka nui te awangawanga. It does kind of make me think, oh man, we've got a lot of work to do in terms of getting our town, our city back to where it used to be, cos it never used to be this bad. - What do you need in the next MP? - One of the things I would love to see for our new Ikaroa-Rawhiti candidate to be a kanohi kitea on the ground. Certainly my whanaunga Meka Whaitiri was that during the pandemic and also during Cyclone Gabrielle. But it's at those other times when we're kind of forgotten about, you know ` all of a sudden, they come home during big crisis and then it's like, 'Oh, kei hea tera?' So I think for me it's kanohi kitea, and also working with our local iwi. (GENTLE MUSIC) - Feeling forgotten about is a recurring theme in this electorate. 35 K's south of Wairoa, we visit Raupunga ` a tiny settlement facing some big issues. What are the challenges living in little rural Maori communities like this? - Oh, well, access to things people take for granted. Like water. Yeah. Reliable electricity. You know, it's nothing` Nothing for us to have four to five days a couple of times a year with no power. - Raupunga has had to be self-reliant, even building its own water system drawn from a local creek. They're worried about the impact the government's water regulations will have on them. But their immediate concern is what Cyclone Gabrielle has done to their water supply. - It's just brought so much slash and silt down. I mean, I remember back in 2017 when we started building our system, it was a beautiful, pristine creek, and now it's just a big mess. It's just full of debris. I mean, metres high, full of slash and debris. - What does this community need from government to ensure that you have these resources forever? - Um, well, we need to get back to basics. They need to come in here and clean their mess up because we didn't create the mess in our waterways. It was never created` our tipuna never farmed like that. They always looked after the water because it was a precious resource. (UNEASY MUSIC) - Seven months on, the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle is still plain to see. As we enter Esk Valley, the devastation is confronting. On February the 14th, Ikaroa-Rawhiti was hit by one of the biggest storms in the history of Aotearoa. - Four people are confirmed dead. A child located in Eskdale this afternoon, thought to have been caught in rising water yesterday... - 11 people lost their lives and thousands more were left displaced. Rikki Reed-Davis was lucky to survive, spending six hours clinging to this tree while the floodwaters raged around him. - I can still hear it when I close my eyes. Just the` If you've been to Huka Falls, it sounded like that, but with cars crashing and debris, everything hitting that house. There used to be another shed here somewhere that was just getting pummelled with stuff. Big hay bales. Could hear the sheep going past me and... someone screaming that went quiet, luckily, cos it was hard to hear the screaming as well. - Did you think you were gonna die? - Oh, yeah. I think I went through the stages of grief. I got angry, I got sad, I started crying, I started swearing at the river. I did pick up the water and promise this valley` I said to the Esk River, 'If you save me, I'll come back and help with the clean-up.' So, yeah, I did think I was gonna die for a good three hours. - Thankfully, Rikki's prayers were answered. He was rescued the following morning by some locals with a jet boat. His miraculous survival earning him a new nickname ` the Esk Valley Taniwha. You kept your promise to the river. - I did. I have kept it, and two days after getting off the tree, I was back out here and picked up a shovel and started way up the valley, cleaning one house, and we've slowly worked all the way down with all the volunteers from all over the country. And I've been all over Hawke's Bay, actually, since. - Rikki is one of many who have rolled up their sleeves to help others in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle. Grassroots organisations like One Voice have swung into action. - We've been putting support out there to our people to provide kai, petrol vouchers, temporary fencing because of the looting that was happening here, and all that sort of stuff. And now we're at that stage where we're providing a lot of mental health and up to 500 boxes of kai out to all 13 hubs a week. - One Voice was originally set up as a support group for sexual abuse survivors, but founder Lynsey Abbott says it's had to pivot to help struggling whanau. How are people coping here? - They are very confused, they're broken, they're lost in the system, they're lost in the unknown. They're stuck in caravans, they're stuck in cabins and they are... still living in a mound of silt that is there and around them all day, every day. And for many of our whanau, they've lost loved ones, they've lost their livelihoods, they've lost everything. And sadly, there are suicides that are happening because people are that broken. - In terms of the addictions and the meth and things like that, are those issues getting worse? - I think it'll be doubled, even tripled. I've had a lot of phone calls from... our people, and... desperately seeking help for domestic violence, and also helping their loved ones with addictions and alcohol. Alcohol has become a friend to a lot of people also, because they are really locked into their grief of the traumas of what's happened here with the cyclone. Yeah. (STIRRING R&B MUSIC) - As we leave this battle-scarred landscape, it's clear there's a long way to go before life here returns to normal. (MUSIC SOFTENS) - # Kotiro! # Kotiro Maori e, taku ripene pai. # - We've now reached the halfway point of our Ikaroa-Rawhiti roadie, and we're in the heart of Meka Whaitiri country. The former Labour MP shocked her party when she quit without warning, saying she didn't feel heard. Now standing for Te Pati Maori, we wanted to find out how her constituents are feeling, so we hit the streets of Hastings. - I support her fully because, um` Am I allowed to say this? She's my whanau. - LAUGHS: Course you are. - (CHUCKLES) - So you're definitely voting for the whanaunga. (LAUGHS) - Yes. (CHUCKLES) - What are the most important issues for this community? - At the moment, we've had the cyclone. Our people need something for their hinengaro. There's a lot of issues going on within whanaus and I` - Mental health. - Mental health. We need help in that area. - What do rangatahi or taiohi need here? - Um... More jobs, I think. Or more opportunity and exposure to experience in order for them to get a new job. - Who might you vote for this year based on how things are going? - Te Pati Maori, definitely. I think they're cool. Like, I think they're really cool. I follow them on TikTok. I think the great thing about them is that they're very modernised. They've integrated their kaupapa into the modern world. - Who would you like to vote for? - Oh, always Labour. - Labour? You're a Labour guy? - Well, that's who my mum votes for. (CHUCKLES) So, yeah. - Is that how it works in your family, what Mum says? - I don't really follow the politics and that, to be honest. - Do you know who the candidates are in this Ikaroa-Rawhiti race? - No. - Are you a Maori Party or a Labour Party guy? - Maori Party. - Or National, ACT or Greens, obviously. - Yeah, or green. Yeah. (LAUGHS) - You like the Greens? What do you like about the Greens? - I like the Green. (LAUGHS) Nah, jokes. - Oh, the 'green'. - (CHUCKLES) - # Ko Wairarapa tenei, # tu ake nei. # E karanga # ki te iwi... # - We're nearly 600 K's south of where we began our roadie, heading towards the mighty Wairarapa. A phrase we keep hearing throughout this trip is 'kanohi kitea' ` voters want their MP to be visible in their community, but how on earth can you achieve that in an electorate this vast? We're on our way to ask someone who has some insights. - # Hei oranga mo te iwi Maori e. # - You know, you're always gonna get whipped in a Maori seat for not being there because your seat is so huge. I might be in Wainuiomata one day, but something's happening up in Gizzie at the same time, and all they see is you're not there. It doesn't matter where you are, you're just not there. So it is very difficult to get your face across the Ikaroa-Rawhiti electorate, and it's one direction. It's not like a small, concentrated electorate where you can drive around in one day. CHUCKLES: You are driving 14 hours. - Do you think the size of the electorate is a symbol of inequality? - Yeah, absolutely, it's an inequality. It's been an inequality since the day that they were established as seats for our people. - In the 2020 election, Ikaroa-Rawhiti had the second lowest voter turnout of the seven Maori electorates. Just 67% of enrolled voters turned up to the polls. Marama believes it has a lot to do with a sense of disconnection. - So, they don't see the impact of government` central government decision-making and legislation on their lives ` although it does ` until they're hurting. And when they're hurting, they'll rise up and they'll change governments because they've had enough. I do believe, though, there's` On the other hand, there is this apathy of our people that they can't make a change, so why bother? Because 200 years has shown us, doesn't matter who's sitting in the top seat ` our lives are still here. Still at the bottom of health statistics, of housing statistics. So I think voter turnout has something to do with that. But I do notice that every time the government changes from the red to the blue and the other colours of hues, it's because something's going wrong. They've had enough. - Tell me, what are your thoughts around the strengths of the two candidates? - It's a two-horse race. We've got Cushla who's well-known in the coast for rugby and some things and knows the people. Meka is more widely-known cos she's held the seat longer, she's been around for a long time, she's been up and down the coast. So based on knowledge alone, I think the strengths that both of them show is how to... Well, Cushla knows how to manage an audience probably better than Meka, but Meka knows the political game and she knows how to play the long game. And she's done it for a long time. But Ikaroa-Rawhiti is up for the grabs now. (BOUNCY MUSIC) - We've travelled nearly 700 K's and we're on the last leg, heading over the snowy Rimutaka Ranges to our final destination, Wainuiomata in Lower Hutt, the southern boundary of Ikaroa-Rawhiti. What is it that makes Wainuiomata great? - For me, it's my home. Like, I've never left Wainui or never lived anywhere else but here. - Tiana Weepu is a first-time voter this election. She's 21 and works as a kaiawhina at Atiawa Nui Tonu kohanga reo. - Yeah, I just enjoy looking after kids and it helps me a lot. Like, makes me happy. It makes me happy to` every day I get to wake up and hang out with kids, so it's really cool. - What are the challenges? - The wages and the funding, but also the waitlists. We have a long waitlist with our` for our babies especially. A lot of parents wanna bring them in, but the waitlist is just too long. - Not enough kohanga for all the babies that wanna learn. - No, not really. - ALL SING: # Homai te pakipaki mo te iti rakiraki... # - Tiana loves her mahi, but it's not easy to get by. Is it a liveable wage? - No. (CHUCKLES) I don't think so. Like, I'm young and I shouldn't have bills to pay and that, but, you know, it's bugger all. Like, I still gotta eat. I still gotta have a roof over my head. And just cost of living. Like, everything has gone up for no reason and it's hard. - He aha o tumanako o wawata mo to whanau? What are your hopes and dreams? - For my family to be healthy. That's important. Um... TEARFULLY: I didn't realise that was gonna be so hard. (SOBS SOFTLY) Sorry. (GENTLE MUSIC) My family are my inspiration, really, so for them to be healthy and to live a long life. And also... I just hope our kids don't struggle when they grow up. Hope these kids don't struggle when they grow up. That's my one thing because, you know, struggling` I'm struggling now and I haven't even hit my 30s or anything, so... yeah. (BOUNCY MUSIC) - The struggle here is real. 80% of Ikaroa-Rawhiti's constituents earn less than $50,000 a year. It's a sobering statistic as we reach the end of our hikoi. So, what have we learned along the way? The people of Ikaroa-Rawhiti might not be rich, but they are generous and they're deeply committed to their communities. They are humble and they are hopeful. And what they really want from their next politician is a fair chance at a good life. - What I want from an MP is somebody who knows and can support what it's like to live in rural isolation, who realises that that is an injustice, that it's a situation of inequity, and to do everything that they can to make sure that we get equitable access to everything. - I want them to stand up and do what's right ` in all kaupapa but on this one, you know, enough is enough and help us to get our whenua back. You know, undo the wrongs of the past and let us, as the owners and the shareholders, rebuild our community for our whanau and for our generations to come. - Surely there's enough examples around New Zealand and the world of places that flood that we have a better civil defence plan. It can be done better and you're better off asking locals from the area, then sitting in your office and asking a consultant about what we should do somewhere that that person's never been. - We need you to be our voice. We need you to stand strong and behind our people and around our people. We need help. Our people need help. And you can give us and gift us the help. Fight for our people. (TRANQUIL MUSIC) Captions by Kitty Wasasala. Edited by Stacey Spary. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2023 - Ko te reo te take. - Ka nui te mihi ki te puna whakatongarewa.