Te Pāti Māori Announces Lisa Marie Murch as Te Tai Tonga Candidate for 2026 - Te Pāti Māori

Te Pāti Māori Announces Lisa Marie Murch as Te Tai Tonga Candidate for 2026

Published by

June 15, 2026

Te Pāti Māori is proud to announce Lisa Marie Murch as its candidate for Te Tai Tonga in the 2026 General Election.

Born and raised in Murihiku, Lisa brings lived experience, education, service, and a deep commitment to whānau Māori across Te Waipounamu.

A young Māori mother at sixteen, Lisa knows firsthand the realities many whānau face. Her journey from cleaning and baking, to becoming a head baker, bilingual primary teacher, kaupapa Māori educator, and specialist across Murihiku and Ōtepoti schools, is grounded in resilience and service.

“I stand because Te Waipounamu deserves strong, visible Māori representation grounded in lived experience, education, and commitment to our people,” said Murch.

“My journey has taught me that education, identity, whakapapa, and belonging can transform lives. I am standing to fight for the future our tamariki and whānau deserve.”

Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader Rawiri Waititi said Lisa represents the leadership needed for this election.

“Lisa knows what it means to struggle, to rise, and to bring others with her. She is grounded in whakapapa, service, and the realities of our people,” said Waititi.

Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said Lisa’s candidacy is a powerful moment for Te Waipounamu.

“Lisa carries the voice of whānau who have been ignored for too long. Te Tai Tonga deserves a representative who is grounded, fearless, and committed to kaupapa Māori solutions,” said Ngarewa-Packer.

Te Pāti Māori is focused on removing the coalition Government, winning the Māori seats, and ensuring there is an independent Māori voice in the next Government.

There will be no one term Government without Te Pāti Māori.

Te Pāti Māori Announces Lisa Marie Murch as Te Tai Tonga Candidate for 2026 preview image

Te Pāti Māori Announces Lisa Marie Murch as Te Tai Tonga Candidate for 2026

Te Pāti Māori is proud to announce Lisa Marie Murch as its candidate for Te Tai Tonga in the 2026 General Election. Born and raised in Murihiku, Lisa brings lived experience, education, service, and a deep commitment to whānau Māori across Te Waipounamu. A young Māori mother at sixteen, Lisa knows firsthand the realities many whānau face. Her journey from cleaning and baking, to becoming a head baker, bilingual primary teacher, kaupapa Māori educator, and specialist across Murihiku and Ōtepoti schools, is grounded in resilience and service.

Government Hid Its Own Evidence on LNG preview image

Government Hid Its Own Evidence on LNG

Te Pāti Māori is calling on the Government to release all remaining redacted advice on the proposed Taranaki LNG import terminal and halt the contract process until full public disclosure has occurred. This week RNZ revealed that officials redacted modelling commissioned by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment showing low need for LNG imports. In some scenarios, no need at all. That information was only made public after RNZ lodged a complaint with the Ombudsman. Parts of the document remain hidden. Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Energy Spokesperson said the Government had no mandate to proceed while its own evidence remained suppressed.

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Seymour Admits He Never Checked Impact on Māori with Diabetes

David Seymour Associate Minister of Health confirmed in answers to Written Parliamentary Questions that he supported removing Māori and Pacific priority access to Type 2 diabetes medicines, without any equity analysis, without modelling of Māori complications, and holds no data on how many Māori currently rely on the pathway they're removing. Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said the admissions were negligible. "They don't know who they're harming. They don't know how many Māori with diabetes rely on this. They haven't modelled the complications, the amputations, the renal failure, the early deaths. And they're proceeding anyway.”

If The Government Really Wants To Lower Power Bills, This Is The Way preview image

If The Government Really Wants To Lower Power Bills, This Is The Way

Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says the government’s LNG announcement today exposes a fundamental failure of energy policy leadership. “Simeon Brown says he has an answer to our energy security problem. A billion-dollar contract to import liquefied natural gas. From the Middle East. With no plan to pay for it. That’s not energy security, that’s energy dependency,” says Ngarewa-Packer. “Initially the government planned a levy on power bills to fund this facility. Now they want the same gentailers, companies they’ve spent three years refusing to regulate, to voluntarily fund something those same companies say they don’t need. Meridian said it publicly. They don’t need this terminal.

Govt will Erase Iwi Representation Across Aotearoa preview image

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TPM to Entrench Te Tiriti: Government’s Tiriti Purge is Constitutional Vandalism preview image

TPM to Entrench Te Tiriti: Government’s Tiriti Purge is Constitutional Vandalism

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Te Pāti Māori responds to announcement of new political party preview image

Te Pāti Māori responds to announcement of new political party

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MP Govt Floats Nuclear Jones Must Front Up preview image

MP Govt Floats Nuclear Jones Must Front Up

Te Pāti Māori is demanding answers after Shane Jones casually floated nuclear fission in the House today. Co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said, “Aotearoa is not neutral on nuclear. We are proudly anti-nuclear. That position was fought for, defended, and embedded in who we are as a nation.” “Is this Government marching us away from our nuclear-free legacy? Because Aotearoa deserves to know,” said Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.

Maipi-Clarke Backs Tribunal Scrutiny of Education Reform preview image

Maipi-Clarke Backs Tribunal Scrutiny of Education Reform

MP for Hauraki-Waikato and Te Pāti Māori Education Spokesperson, Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, stands in support of the urgent Waitangi Tribunal hearings taking place this week into Wai 3553. The claim, brought forward by Northland iwi and hapū Ngāti Hine and Te Kapotai alongside NZEI Te Riu Roa and education advocates, raises serious concerns that education reforms will impact how schools uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and weaken support for Māori learners, language, and culture. “These hearings are a critical opportunity to ensure that Māori voices are heard, and the Crown is held a to its Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations” says Maipi-Clarke.

Government Using Outdated Fuel Data While Diesel Likely Below Emergency Levels preview image

Government Using Outdated Fuel Data While Diesel Likely Below Emergency Levels

Te Pāti Māori is calling for the immediate release of real-time fuel data, as the Government continues to rely on figures already six days old. The last published data from 8 April showed onshore diesel at just 21.7 days of cover, sitting on the international emergency threshold. Today is the 14th. “At the rate diesel has been dropping, we are likely already below 20 days, and the Government still doesn’t have real-time visibility,” said Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.