Is Te Pāti Māori’s ‘one-tick’ strategy helping fuel the Greens’ surge?

Summarised by Centrist

Te Pāti Māori’s campaign for electorate votes may be contributing to rising Green support among Māori, according to commentators discussing a new Mata-Horizon poll.

On the Māori roll, 28% preferred the Greens for their party vote, compared with Labour’s 27% and Te Pāti Māori’s 16%. Among Māori on the general roll, Labour led on 38%, with the Greens on 17%.

Youth leader Maringi James linked the result to Te Pāti Māori’s one-tick campaign, encouraging support for its electorate candidates while leaving voters free to choose another party.

“Knowing that we’re allowed to vote for another party,” she said, adding that the message was getting through.

Public Service Association Māori leader Jack Tautokai McDonald also identified strategic voting, but said Te Pāti Māori needed to rebuild trust.

“Voters are disaffected by the Māori party,” he said, citing its recent troubles.

Such split voting could increase Green representation while helping Te Pāti Māori retain electorate MPs. An overhang would arise if Te Pāti Māori won more electorates than its nationwide party vote entitled it to.

The poll surveyed 1,089 adults identifying as Māori between September 8–18, with an overall margin of error of ±3 percentage points. It does not establish how much of the Greens’ increase comes from strategic voting.

Read more at RNZ

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