NZ Election 2023

Ikaroa-Rāwhiti electorate

Ikaroa-Rāwhiti is a Māori electorate currently held by Te Pāti Māori's Meka Whaitiri, who won comfortably with a margin of 6,045 as a candidate for the Labour Party. In 2020, Labour won the greatest share of party votes in Ikaroa-Rāwhiti – 66% to Te Pāti Māori's 12%. The electorate was held by Parekura Horomia from 1999 until his death in 2013, which triggered a by-election won by Whaitiri.

Ikaroa-Rāwhiti candidates

Explore the candidates in your area

Ata Tuhakaraina

Vision NZ

Meka Whaitiri

Te Pāti Māori

Cushla Tangaere‑Manuel

Labour Party

Cushla Tangaere‑Manuel

Labour Party

Not currently in parliament

Why I'm standing

I was taught from a young age that if you have the skills to help people – you must. Right now Ikaroa-Rāwhiti needs a strong voice and caring heart to move through these challenging times. Our electorate is made up of beautiful rohe and people live here because they're from here or love the regions. I want to empower that, ensuring our regions recover and thrive.

About me

I'm all in for the people of Ikaroa-Rāwhiti. I've elected not to go on the list as I believe I am the best candidate to be the elected voice – this is not a career option, it's a calling. I'm a strong communicator in English and te reo Māori, and have a great sense of empathy – people are at the heart of all I do. I'm people centred and love a laugh!

My priorities

  1. Reduce the cost of living enabling oranga whanau (whanau wellness).
  2. Continue to provide housing options for whanau.
  3. Support whanau through cyclone recovery.

Get across the policies, candidates and parties

Don’t know who to vote for? Policy.nz is the complete guide to the 2023 general election. Compare the parties, candidates and policies to see where you stand.

Policies

Compare the parties’ positions on the key issues this election

Candidates

See the electorate candidates running in your local area

Parties

Learn about each political party, its leaders and candidate list

Things to know...

Your two votes shape New Zealand’s next parliament. You need to be enrolled to vote.

Read explainer

  • Enrol to vote by Sunday 25 October

    You need to be enrolled before you can vote. You can enrol online at vote.nz.

  • Voting day is Saturday 7 November

    Head to your nearest voting place on the day, or vote early from 26 October.

  • You get two votes

    One for a party (the party vote) and one for a person in your area (the electorate vote).

  • Your party vote is the most powerful

    It decides how many seats each party gets in Parliament. That’s what Policy helps you figure out.