Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke
New Zealand politician (born 2002) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
New Zealand politician (born 2002) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hana-Rawhiti Kareariki Maipi-Clarke[1] (born 2002)[a] is a New Zealand politician, representing Te Pāti Māori as a Member of Parliament since the 2023 New Zealand general election. She is the youngest MP since James Stuart-Wortley, who was elected in the 1853 election aged 20 years and 7 months.
Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Maipi-Clarke in 2024 | |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Hauraki-Waikato | |
| Assumed office 14 October 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Nanaia Mahuta |
| Majority | 2,911 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 2002 (age 22) |
| Political party | Te Pāti Māori |
Maipi-Clarke has ancestry in Waikato,[4][5] Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou, Te Āti Awa, and Ngāi Tahu.[6] The broadcaster Potaka Maipi is her father.[7] She is the grand-niece of Māori language activist Hana Te Hemara.[8] Taitimu Maipi, whose activism contributed to the removal of the Captain Hamilton statue in 2020, is her grandfather.[8] Wi Katene, the first Māori MP to be appointed to the Executive Council, was her great-great-great-great-grandfather.[9]
Maipi-Clarke received her education at Te Wharekura o Rākaumangamanga in Huntly.[10] Aged 17, she published a book Maahina about maramataka – the Māori lunar calendar.[6] She was inspired by Rangi Mātāmua to research the topic when he lectured about Matariki.[10] In 2023, she gave a training course to the New Zealand Warriors about maramataka and Matariki.[11]
| Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–present | 54th | Hauraki-Waikato | 4 | Te Pāti Māori | |
During Te Wiki o te Reo Māori in September 2022, Maipi-Clarke gave a speech on the steps of Parliament House.[12][13] Several political parties approached Maipi-Clarke afterwards, asking her to consider joining them.[8]
Both Maipi-Clarke and her father were under consideration by Te Pāti Māori as candidates for the Hauraki-Waikato electorate. In the end, the party wanted a "youthful perspective"[14] and she was selected to contest the electorate at the 2023 election. She was 4th on the 2023 party list. During the campaign, Maipi-Clarke was subject to multiple alleged home invasions, which Te Pāti Māori referred to as politically motivated.[15] An elderly man alleged to be a well-known National Party campaigner was issued a trespass notice by police.[16]
In the 2023 general election held on 14 October, Maipi-Clarke unseated incumbent Labour MP Nanaia Mahuta by a margin of 2,911 votes.[17] Elected at 21 years old, Maipi-Clarke became the second youngest member of Parliament in New Zealand, and the youngest in 170 years.[18][6][19] She is the second youngest behind James Stuart-Wortley, who was elected in the country's first general election in 1853 when he was aged 20 years and 7 months[6] – he should not have been elected, as the minimum age requirement was 21, but he lied about his age.[20][page needed]
By mid-December 2023, Maipi-Clarke had joined Parliament's Māori affairs select committee. She also became Te Pāti Māori's Māori development, rangatahi (young people), Māori language, Kai (food) sovereignty, agriculture, conservation, sports and recreation, food safety, biosecurity and customs spokesperson.[21]
In mid-September 2024, Maipi-Clarke became one of the four recipients of the 2024 One Young World Politician of the Year Award. The organisation awarded her the award on the basis that "her involvement in the political realm allowed young Māori and the younger generation to have a voice within New Zealand's democracy."[22]
On 14 November 2024, Maipi-Clarke protested a bill in New Zealand's parliament that would reinterpret a treaty between the Māori and The Crown. She protested by tearing a copy of the Treaty Principles Bill in half during its first reading in Parliament, while leading the haka "Ka Mate".[23][24] Following this, the Speaker, Gerry Brownlee, suspended Parliament for 20 minutes as well as naming Maipi-Clarke for her actions, suspending her from Parliament for 24 hours.[25]
During her maiden speech in December 2023, Maipi-Clarke criticised the National-led coalition government, claiming that it had "attacked my whole world from every corner". She identified health, the environment, water, land, natural resources and children as key areas of disagreement with the government.[26]
Maipi-Clarke has supported lowering the voting age to 16 years.[27]
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