Te Tai Hauauru by-election 2004

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The Te Tai Hauauru by-election was a by-election in the New Zealand electorate of Te Tai Hauauru, one of the Māori seats. The date set for the by-election was 10 July 2004. It saw the re-election of Tariana Turia, a former MP for the Labour Party and now co-leader of the Māori Party.

Turia had quit both Parliament and the Labour Party in protest over the government's position in the foreshore and seabed controversy. She contested the by-election as a member of the new Māori Party, which she is playing a leading role in establishing. None of the major parties contested the by-election, and Turia was always the overwhelming favourite to win. Perhaps due to the apparent inevitability of a win for Turia, only around 32% of Te Tai Hauauru voters cast ballots.

Nominations for the by-election closed on June 15, 2004. Candidates were:

  • Tariana Turia (Māori Party)
  • Peter Wakeman, a Labour Party member who stood as an independent.
  • Dun Mihaka (Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party), a veteran Māori activist best known for baring his buttocks to the Queen on her 1983 Royal Tour of New Zealand.
  • Tahu Nepia, who stood as an independent, but represented the Ratana movement, with the intent of establishing an Independent Ratana Party to contest the next general election.
  • Rusty Kane, an independent who campaigned on the platform that Māori seats should be abolished.
  • David Bolton, independent.

If no candidates had been put forward to oppose Turia, she would have been declared the winner without a vote - this initially appeared possible, and given the cost of a by-election (estimated at almost NZ$500,000), many hoped that a vote could be avoided.

The holding of a by-election was criticised by a number other parties. The Labour Party, which Turia was originally a member of (and which has traditionally dominated the Māori seats) has called the by-election "a waste of time and money", and a "sideshow". Labour contested the seat in the 2005 election, losing to Turia.

[edit] Results

Candidate Party Votes Percentage
Tariana Turia Māori Party 7,256 92.74%
Dun Mihaka Legalise Cannabis Party 197 2.52%
Tahu Nepia Independent 183 2.24%
Peter Wakeman Independent 80 1.02%
David Bolton Independent 70 0.89%
Rusty Kane Independent 38 0.49%
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