Te Pāti Māori-linked scandal raises serious election integrity concerns

An inquiry has found that agencies failed to safeguard data collected at Manurewa Marae, raising the risk of misuse to target Māori voters in the Tāmaki Makaurau electorate.

FACTS

  • Stats NZ chief executive Mark Sowden will step down amid the fallout, but election concerns remain unresolved
  • Takutai Tarsh Kemp, the former CEO of Manurewa Marae, narrowly won the Tāmaki Makaurau seat for Te Pāti Māori
“What we saw abroad—using social media to fuel uprisings, suppress dissent, and manipulate narratives—was turned inward after 2016.”

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