Former Māori Party co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell has publicly demanded a leadership overhaul in Te Pāti Māori, saying the party has departed from its founding principles and must find a new balance between protest and building parliamentary relationships.
Flavell, who led the party from 2013 to 2017, made his intervention in a social media post following the recent death of Whatarangi Winiata, the party's inaugural president. "I said the party had lost its way," Flavell wrote. "In my view, the party had moved away from the kaupapa, that is, how we conduct ourselves as Māori, how we would engage with others, and ultimately why we were there in the first place."
He criticised what he described as infighting and personal attacks within the party. "Our people have not liked the infighting, the personal attacks, the inability to uphold tikanga, poor leadership, the absence of whakaiti (humility) when needed, and the constant accusations directed at one another and others," he said.
Asked whether his call for change extended to president John Tamihere or the co-leaders, Flavell replied it applied to "probably the whole lot". He argued that while dramatic gestures had their place, the party needed to consider whether it wanted to be influential in Parliament going forward. "Relationships are hugely important in Parliament, the ability to engage such that you can even if you had to make incremental changes in legislation," he said.
Co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer responded that she had huge respect for Flavell and that feedback was important. "We're a young movement, and we're going to have lots of growing pains, but our focus at the moment has to be solely on getting this Government out, and that has been our intent," she said.
The party has faced internal turbulence. Its national council expelled two MPs in November 2025, though the High Court later partly overturned the expulsions. One of those MPs, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, confirmed in May she would launch her own party to contest the election.
Flavell acknowledged Tamihere's success in securing six seats at the last election, calling it a major achievement. But he said circumstances had changed. "If they heed it, so be it. If not, kei te pai," he said of his leadership call.