Mariameno Kapa-Kingi
MP
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Te Tai Tokerau
Assumed office
14 October 2023
Preceded byKelvin Davis
Personal details
Born1960 or 1961 (age 61–63)[1]
Political partyMāori
Children4

Mariameno Kapa-Kingi (born 1960 or 1961) is a New Zealand politician who was elected to the New Zealand parliament at the 2023 general election as the MP for Te Tai Tokerau representing Te Pāti Māori.

Early life

Kapa-Kingi is of the Te Aupōuri and Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa iwi. She was born and grew up in Te Tai Tokerau.[2] She worked in iwi health and social services for more than thirty years.[3] She helped develop health provider Te Kohao in Hamilton, and worked in suicide prevention and homelessness services.[3] Before entering Parliament, Kapa-Kingi was the project specialist for Te Rūnanga o Whaingaroa, and was involved in the iwi response to COVID-19 in the Far North.[3] She said it was her involvement in the community response to COVID-19 that inspired her to enter politics.[3]

Political career

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2023–present 54th Te Tai Tokerau 7 Te Pāti Māori

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 Kelvin Davis, who won with a margin of more than 8000 votes.[4]

Kapa-Kingi was selected again in 2023. In a press release, Kapa-Kingi said that "Parliament is sorely missing an unequivocally Māori opinion and analysis, and the Māori Party is the right advocate to bring those things to the House, both fearlessly and relentlessly".[5] She was elected as the MP for Te Tai Tokerau in the 2023 election, beating incumbent Labour Party deputy leader Kelvin Davis by 517 votes in the final count.[6][7]

Personal life

Kapa-Kingi has triplet sons and a daughter. Her son, Eru Kapa-Kingi, was ranked two places lower than her on the Te Pati Maori party list in the 2023 election.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Te Tai Tokerau electorate". Policy.nz. Archived from the original on 30 June 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  2. ↑ "Meet the team: Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, Candidate for Te Tai Tokerau". Te Pāti Māori. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Johnsen, Meriana (18 May 2020). "Māori Party announces Mariameno Kapa-Kingi to run for Te Tai Tokerau". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  4. ↑ Electoral Commission (2020). "2020 Te Tai Tokerau – Official Result".
  5. ↑ "Maori Party announces Mariameno Kapa-Kingi as Te Tai Tokerau candidate". Waatea News. 19 May 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  6. ↑ Adam Pearse (4 November 2023). "Change of heart: Labour deputy leader Kelvin Davis says he will remain in politics". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  7. ↑ "Te Tai Tokerau - Official Result". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  8. ↑ Mateariki, Atereano (4 October 2023). "Kapa-Kingi goes online to lure voters". Waatea News. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
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