The tides are changing in Te Tai Tonga, as Te Pāti Māori’s Tākuta Ferris leads the electoral race over incumbent Rino Tirikatene.
The electorate has been Rino Tirikatene’s for more than a decade. But with just less than 5% of the votes to be counted, Ferris’ majority of votes over 1,400 seems to have locked him in as the next Te Tai Tonga champion.
Near the start of Whakaata Māori’s Whakatau 2023 election coverage, Tirikatene acknowledged his opponent’s early lead and the changing times for Te Tai Tonga.
The recent Whakaata Māori poll of the electorate showed a large number of undecided voters that would work immensely in Ferris’ favour. That’s now resulted in many choosing Ferris.
Ferris’ campaign and debate performances have helped his visibility as he showed what he has learned from his 2020 election performance when he placed a minor second to Tirikatene.
The Tirikatene surname is synonymous with politics in Te Tai Tonga, and it’s an impressive feat for Ferris and Te Pāti Māori as they close in on other electorates, having already won Waiariki, in Te Tai Hauāuru with Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Hauraki Waikato with Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke.