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Rawiri Waititi
New Zealand politician / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rawiri Wikuki Waititi (born 17 October 1980 or 1981) is a New Zealand politician and iwi leader He has been co-leader of Te Pāti Māori since 2020, alongside Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. He has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Waiariki since 2020,[2] when his election returned Te Pāti Māori to the New Zealand Parliament following their defeat at the 2017 general election.
Rawiri Waititi | |
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Co-leader of Te Pāti Māori | |
Assumed office 28 October 2020 | |
Preceded by | John Tamihere |
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Waiariki | |
Assumed office 17 October 2020 | |
Preceded by | Tāmati Coffey |
Majority | 15,891 |
Personal details | |
Born | 1980 or 1981 (age 42–43)[1] Ōpōtiki, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand |
Political party | Te Pāti Māori (2016–present) Labour (until 2016) |
Spouse | Kiri Tamihere-Waititi |
Children | 5 |
Relatives | Hoani Waititi (grand-uncle) Dame June Mariu (aunt) Kahurangi Waititi (relation) Taika Waititi (relation) Tweedie Waititi (relation) Rob Ruha (relation) John Tamihere (father-in-law) |
Profession | Politician and Ringatū Minister |
Website | Māori Party profile |
Born and raised in the eastern Bay of Plenty, Waititi whakapapas to many iwi but has firm links to Te Whānau-ā-Apanui and Ngāti Porou. An advocate of progressive political policies,[3] Waititi is a fluent Māori speaker, and is also an iwi leader, Ringatū minister, and kapa haka exponent.[4] He has been prominent and vocal in his opposition to the policies towards Māori of the Sixth National Government of New Zealand since the 2023 general election.