Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has ruled out working with Te Pāti Māori or its MPs, calling the party’s turmoil a soap opera.
His comments followed the party’s national council decision today to expel Mariameno Kapa Kingi and Tākuta Ferris from Te Pāti Māori.
Both remain in Parliament as independents, since expulsion from the party does not remove an electorate MP from their seat.
Speaking to media at Parliament, Luxon said he was focused on turning the country around and was not interested in what he called the shenanigans around Te Pāti Māori’s internal issues.
“I’m just not going to go into it because I’m not the leader of Te Pāti Māori. There’s a couple of leaders, or many leaders, from what I can kind of work out,” he said.
“All I’m trying to say to you is, for me, I’m trying to sort this country out. I’m trying to turn it around. I’m focused on that task, and all the shenanigans of Te Pāti Māori, who I just haven’t seen here in this place offering any serious solutions to the challenges and opportunities this country has.
“To me, it’s just a sheer soap opera, and I don’t want to work with them. I won’t be working with the independents. I won’t be working with Te Pāti Māori. I’m pretty clear about that.”
When asked why he was ruling out working with the newly independent MPs, Luxon said the Government was focused on fixing the joint and had received no meaningful engagement from the party.
“Honestly, we’re coming in here every day, working 20 hours a day as a Government trying to fix the joint. I haven’t had one single substantive policy conversation with Te Pāti Māori at all. It’s all performative. It’s all drama. It’s all soap opera. So I’ve got no interest,” he said.
Asked whether he might reconsider if Kapa Kingi or Ferris began putting forward serious policy, Luxon dismissed the idea.
“From what I’ve seen, I just think they’re actually just not serious, any of them, about wanting to deal with the issues that confront Māori, let alone all New Zealanders.
We’re a Government that’s determined to get improved outcomes for Māori, and I just don’t have any engagement from them on that.”
