Te Pāti Māori President John Tamihere has accused MPs Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and Takuta Ferris of attempting to “destabilise” the party ahead of the 2026 election, describing their actions as driven by “greed, avarice and entitlement.”

He’s made a public comment on his Facebook page, after members from his own party called for resignation.

The party’s Te Tai Tonga electorate office has started a petition calling for Tamihere’s resignation.

Takuta Ferris is the MP for Te Tai Tonga.

Tamihere said the pair had launched a “relentless media attack” against Te Pāti Māori and its leadership after failing to mount an internal challenge against co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.

“They are knowingly endeavouring to destroy the ability of Te Pāti Māori to make this a one-term Government,” Tamihere said. “They put self-interest and ego above our people and not once have they entered into any tikanga as expressed by our party founders.”

Tamihere said he received a call in July from a Te Tai Tokerau iwi chair warning that Kapa-Kingi was seeking support from Māori leaders to challenge Ngarewa-Packer for the co-leadership, and Ferris was attempting to challenge Waititi. He said Kapa-Kingi could not give a clear reason for a leadership change when questioned.

By August, Tamihere said he was informed Kapa-Kingi had overspent her Parliamentary budget and failed to communicate with party leaders or Parliamentary Services. “I rang Ms Kapa-Kingi and advised that she had a number of options but in any event must repay the overspend and ensure that the party was not brought into disrepute over financial mismanagement,” he said.

He claimed the pair began holding their own “pre-Caucus hui” before official party meetings and, by October, had turned their frustrations into a campaign against the leadership. “The Kapa-Kingis launched a media attack on Te Pāti Māori and its leadership. This attack has continued relentlessly since,” he said.

Tamihere denied any wrongdoing by the party’s leadership, insisting internal scrutiny and financial accountability were routine. “It is not the fault of Te Pāti Māori that Kapa-Kingi overspent her budget. It is not the fault of Te Pāti Māori that payments to her family have been disclosed,” he said.

He accused the MPs of seeking attention through what he described as “rage baiting” in the media, saying they had turned to “Pākehā media rather than the marae” to air grievances.

“The white feeding frenzy that they knew they would inspire continues as it is based on rage baiting rather than any evidence,” Tamihere said.

He said the “feeding frenzy” from mainstream outlets had amplified misinformation and distracted from Te Pāti Māori’s work in opposing what he described as a Government dismantling Māori advancement “piece by piece, bill by bill.”

“This is not the first Kapa-Kingi rodeo with the party,” Tamihere said, recalling an earlier dispute in 2023 over the ranking of Hana Maipi-Clarke on the party list. “Their argument was that ‘somebody in nappies’ should not be placed ahead of a Wahine Rangatira from Te Tai Tokerau,” he said.

Tamihere urged the pair to follow the example of former MP Hone Harawira, who left the party in 2011 to form the Mana Movement. “Hone Harawira did the honourable thing. He started his own party based on political principle and on integrity and belief,” he said. “I guarantee Kapa-Kingi and Ferris will not do the same thing because their conduct is not based on mana, integrity or honesty. Their conduct is based on greed, avarice and entitlement.”