Oriini Kaipara makes her maiden speech in Parliament on 10 October 2025. Photo: VNP/Phil Smith
Te Pāti Māori's newest MP Oriini Kaipara has swung in to support her under-fire colleague Mariameno Kapa-Kingi.
Kapa-Kingi's future in the party is uncertain, after Waatea News reported party members voted to suspend the Te Tai Tokerau MP at a National Council hui last Thursday.
The Māori radio station reported the resolution was passed by members from Tāmaki Makaurau, Hauraki-Waikato, Waiariki, Ikaroa-Rāwhiti and Te Tai Hauāuru, with Te Tai Tonga abstaining.
The party's newest MP for Tāmaki Makaurau - Oriini Kaipara - has gone on to post on Facebook over the long weekend, expressing public support for Kapa-Kingi.
"Our kuia are important. They hold rank for reason," she wrote.
"Meno is a kuia my soul recognises and gravitates toward without effort. She is a pou of Te Pāti Māori and for me, being the newest member to our waka, I see her, I believe her and in her, I support her."
RNZ has contacted Mariameno Kapa-Kingi for comment.
File photo. Mariameno Kapa-Kingi speaking in Parliament in May 2025. Photo: VNP / Phil Smith
On Monday, a party spokesperson told RNZ the matter was currently before the National Council and remained an internal party process.
"All proceedings are guided by our Kawa (constitution) which was developed by the founders of our movement. We await the outcome of the Council's proceedings and findings. No further comment will be made while these processes are underway," the spokesperson said.
The party's National Council is comprised of the party president John Tamihere, two co-vice presidents (one male, one female), the two co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, all of its MPs, and up to four council members selected by each electorate.
The National Executive is the party president, the two co-vice presidents and the two co-leaders.
The party currently only has one vice-president, Fallyn Flavell, after Mariameno Kapa-Kingi's son and leader of the hīkoi movement Eru stepped down from the role earlier this year.
Eru Kapa-Kingi has been highly critical of the co-leaders since stepping down from his role and has rejected their claims he tailgated through security gates at the Beehive and verbally abused security staff on Budget Day last year.
Lance Norman, the party's secretary and treasurer, and party general manager Kiri Tamihere-Waititi serve as ex officio members of the National Executive, without voting rights.
All decisions made by the National Executive need to be ratified by the National Council at its next hui.
Last week, Kapa-Kingi hit back against accusations she had overspent her office budget.
The party released documents to members suggesting Parliamentary Services had warned the MP she was on track to overspend her budget by up to $133,000.
Kapa-Kingi said her allocated budget had been "adjusted" while she took on extra staff to support the late Takutai Tarsh Kemp, the MP for Tāmaki Makaurau.
She also criticised party leadership for sharing the budget reallocation publicly without context.
The MP also lost her job as party whip, after the party decided she was not seen enough at huihuinga in her electorate, and needed to focus on next year's election campaign.
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