Mariameno Kapa-Kingi

Mariameno Kapa-Kingi (born 1960 or 1961) is a New Zealand politician who represents Te Tai Tokerau in the New Zealand House of Representatives as an independent. After several decades in iwi social and health services, she was elected at the 2023 general election representing Te Pāti Māori. In November 2025, she was expelled from the party.

Kapa-Kingi was born in Te Kao, the daughter of Paratene Tipene Kapa of Te Aupōuri and Te Auraki of Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa iwi. When her father failed to get a bank loan to develop his farm, the family moved to Onerahi in Whangārei,^[2] where Kapa-Kingi was raised.^[3] She worked in iwi health and social services for more than thirty years.^[4] She helped develop health provider Te Kohao in Hamilton, and worked in suicide prevention and homelessness services.^[4] Before entering Parliament, Kapa-Kingi was a project specialist for Te Rūnanga o Whaingaroa, chief executive of Te Rūnanga Nui o Te Aupōuri Trust, the post-settlement governance entity for her iwi, and was involved in the iwi response to COVID-19 in the Far North.^[4] She said it was her involvement in the community response to COVID-19 that inspired her to enter politics.^[4]

On 17 May 2020, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi was selected as the Māori Party candidate for Te Tai Tokerau in the 2020 election. She came second to Labour's Kelvin Davis, who won with a margin of more than 8000 votes.^[5] Davis had been Labour Party deputy leader since 2017.^[6]

Kapa-Kingi was selected again in 2023.^[7] The incumbent, Davis, had after the 2020 election become minister for children, and over several controversies, he faced strong criticism by the Māori Party.^[8] Kapa-Kingi advocated strongly for children, thus exploiting Davis' political vulnerability.^[9] Based on preliminary results published on election might, Davis had held the seat with 487 votes ahead of Kapa-Kingi.^[10] When final results were published on 3 November, the lead had been reversed and Kapa-Kingi was elected as the MP for Te Tai Tokerau, beating the incumbent by 517 votes.^[11][12] Davis was re-elected via Labour's party list, but in mid-December 2023 he announced his retirement from politics effective Waitangi Day 2024.^[13]

By mid-December 2023, Kapa-Kingi had become Te Pāti Māori's whip and joined Parliament's business select committee. She also became the party's housing, Oranga Tamariki, children, infrastructure, building and construction, transport, regional development, rural communities, local defence, civil government and small businesses spokesperson.^[14]

In early May 2024, Kapa-Kingi gave a speech in Parliament accusing the National-led coalition government of embarking on a "mission to exterminate Māori" by seeking to repeal Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989. During her speech, she said "I might be tempted to change tone and say: Pai ana, get rid of Section 7AA, and while you're at it get rid of the entire act and the rotten institution that is Oranga Tamariki, which should in fact be named matenga tamariki (killing children) because it and its predecessor has only caused strife and ruin." Kapa-Kingi's remarks drew criticism from National Party leader Christopher Luxon Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins, who described her rhetoric and language as "unhelpful." Labour MP Willie Jackson and Green MP Hūhana Lyndon criticised Kapa-Kingi's choice of words. New Zealand First leader Winston Peters also denounced her speech as "ignorant and offensive" while ACT Party leader David Seymour described her comments as "disgraceful," adding that the three coalition parties had Māori members. By contrast, Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer defended Kapa-Kingi's speech and accused the Government of seeking to exterminate Māori through its policies and processes.^[15][16]

In a September 2025 reshuffle, Kapa-Kingi was replaced as party whip by co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.^[17] In mid-September 2025, Te Pāti Māori President John Tamihere said that Kapa-Kingi had been demoted as party whip due to the perception she had become tethered to Parliament and that she needed to reconnect with her electorate constituents.^[18] On 14 October, Te Pāti Māori released an email to its members containing several attached documents with serious allegations against Kapa-Kingi and her son, former party vice-president and Toitu Te Tiriti movement leader Eru Kapa-Kingi. These documents included a letter from Parliamentary service to Kapa-Kingi warning that her office had exceeded its budget by NZ$133,000, had failed to pay her parliamentary staffers, and separate allegations that Eru had racially abused a Parliamentary security guard on Budget Day in 2024.^[19][20] In early October 2025, her son Eru had severed Toitu Te Tiriti's ties to Te Pāti Māori, alleging a lack of accountability and transparency.^[21] Kapa-Kingi said her budget had not been overspent, because it had been adjusted to allow for support for Takutai Tarsh Kemp before her death.^[22]

On 28 October 2025, Waatea News reported that Te Pāti Māori had voted to suspend Kapa-Kingi on 23 October, saying that Te Tai Tokerau Electorate Executive was "no longer functioning in accordance with party requirements and the kawa (constitution)" and that Kapa-Kingi had breached the kawa.^[23][24] On 3 November, Tamihere called on Kapa-Kingi and fellow TPM MP Tākuta Ferris to resign, accusing the duo of "greed, avarice, and entitlement" and attempting to overthrow the party's co-leaders Waititi and Ngarewa-Packer.^[25] Despite attempts at mediation by the National Iwi Chairs Forum, the national council of Te Pāti Māori subsequently voted to expel Kapa-Kingi and Ferris on 9 November. In response, she denounced the decision as "unconstitutional" and vowed to appeal it "in all respects."^[26]

On 21 November, RNZ reported that Te Pāti Māori had declined an invitation by the iwi/tribe Ngāpuhi's rūnanga (governing body) chair Rūnanga Mane Tahere to meet with Te Tai Tokerau voters concerned about Kapa-Kingi's expulsion. The party had declined to participate in the meeting on the grounds that several Rangatira (chiefs) had advised them not to attend and that their attendance would have interfered with ongoing legal proceedings. In response, Tahere accused TPM of not valuing Te Tai Tokerau voters and disputed the party's claim that several rangatira had advised against their participation.^[27]

On 4 December 2025, Kapa-Kingi filed an interim injunction at the Wellington High Court challenging Te Pāti Māori's decision to expel her.^[28] Her legal team argued that her suspension and expulsion was conducted in a way that violated TPM's constitution and basic principles of fairness. Key arguments included that no proper disciplinary body had been constituted, that no adequate hearing or notice was provided, and that her membership cancellation lacked a fair process.^[29] The following day, Justice Paul Radich ruled in favour of part of Kapa-Kingi's application, reinstating her as a member of TPM. However, Radich declined her three other requests, which included removing Tamihere as party president, stopping the party's annual general meeting scheduled for the weekend (6-7 December), and preventing the party's national council and executive from passing further resolutions.^[30]

Kapa-Kingi married Korotangi Kingi,^[2] now Korotangi Kapa-Kingi.^[3] They have triplet sons and a daughter.^[2] Her son Eru Kapa-Kingi was ranked two places lower than her on the Te Pāti Māori party list in the 2023 election.^[31]