Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke, Te Pāti Māori candidate for Hauraki-Waikato Photo: Erica Sinclair / Supplied
Te Pāti Māori has announced Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke as its candidate for the Hauraki-Waikato electorate held by Labour's Nanaia Mahuta.
Maipi-Clarke - of Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Porou, Te Atiawa and Ngāi Tahu - is a published author and expert in maramataka, the Māori lunar calendar. She is also a descendent of Hana Te Hemara, who spearheaded the Māori Language petition 50 years ago.
In a statement, Te Pāti Māori said Maipi-Clarke at 20 years old represented a new generation of Māori political leadership and would be a "formidable" candidate in Hauraki-Waikato.
"We couldn't be more excited to have as part of our team," co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said. "Hana represents the future of our movement. She is young, courageous, and unapologetically Māori. She embodies the Aotearoa Hou that we are fighting for."
Co-leader Rawiri Waititi said the next generation needed to see themselves reflected in Parliament.
"As a rangatahi leader she has already made a significant impact on te ao Māori," he said. "People are hungry for change and Hana is that change. Hana is a leader our people deserve."
Maipi-Clarke said: "Kei te tū au ki te whakamana i ngā reo maha o te iwi Māori, ehakē i te mea e tū ana au ki te whakaiti i te reo kotahi".
Senior Labour Minister Nanaia Mahuta has held the Hauraki-Waikato Māori seat - which encompasses Manukau, Coromandel and much of Waikato - since 2008, winning 68 percent of the vote in 2020.