Meet New Zealand’s Gen Z Māori Guardian in Parliament

Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, New Zealand’s youngest parliamentarian in 170 years, went viral after, during her maiden parliament speech in December, she performed a haka—the ceremonial Māori war dance—showcasing both her commitment to Indigenous representation and that she was ready for a battle.

Maipi-Clarke entered the political arena as Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his conservative government, which has been criticized for dismantling Māori rights, came into power. Already, Luxon’s government has rolled back official uses of Māori language and dissolved the Māori Health Authority, among other policies affecting the people who make up 1 million of New Zealand’s population of over 5 million.

“We’re trying to protect as much as we can,” says the 22-year-old, referring to herself and five other Māori Party opposition legislators in the 123-member parliament.

In July, Maipi-Clarke found herself at the center of attention again. When she stood to address her colleagues, other MPs became fixated on what they deemed a “political display” that runs afoul of parliamentary rules: her laptop stickers, which she said represent her Māori identity. The ruckus was a “distraction,” she says. That day, the debate was meant to focus on whether city councils should hold referendums on whether to maintain Māori wards, which guarantee Māori political representation in local governments. “We must have a seat at the table,” Maipi-Clarke says.

Maipi-Clarke’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. A 1News poll in August showed that while Luxon retains a plurality with 28% public support, Maipi-Clarke made it onto a short list of five alternative “preferred Prime Minister” candidates. Admittedly a long shot, Maipi-Clarke says she was “chuffed” to even be considered.

It also reaffirms her belief that she can be a kaitiaki (guardian) of the Māori people by continuing to assert her heritage—stickers or otherwise. “If someone’s got a problem with it, that’s their problem. That’s not our problem, because we’re doing everything to revive our culture knowing that it could be extinct.”

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