Election 2023: Pacific candidates reflect on where election was won and lost

Pacific MPs are examining the aftermath of the weekend’s election results.

Labour suffered a severe defeat, winning just 34 seats compared to the 65 it secured in its massive landslide victory in 2020.

Kelston electorate MP Carmel Sepuloni told the PMN's Pacific Post Election Special there were a range of factors to blame.

“Clearly, there were some reflections for us, but also low turnout. It was always going to be my number concern that our Pacific people were not part of the decision making on October 14th.

“We’ve had more challenges in the last six years than many could have anticipated, and some of the challenges that we’ve faced are certainly global, and cost of living.”

Watch 531pi's full Pacific Post-Election Special below:

The Greens had one of their finest ever election results, winning 14 seats, including three electorate seats.

One of its new MPs will be Fa’anana Efeso Collins, who was rapt over the election result.

“I think we are the party with the policies for South Auckland, and as more and more people come to understand what we’re offering, they’re going to come away from Labour, maybe some from National, and they’ll come to the Greens.”

Fa’anana says engaging young, Pacific voters will be crucial going forward.

“If our young people are prepared to march down the streets for climate change, another aspect of that is ticking two boxes come election.

“What we know is that our poorer, browner communities don’t vote, our people feel disengaged and disenfranchised, but we got to start somewhere, because we can change the results of the election if we all voted.”

New faces in politics

National's Te Atatū candidate Angee Nicholas is tentatively in the lead for the West Auckland electorate, with a margin of 30 votes. She says everyone will benefit from National's policies, regardless of ethnicity.

"For example, with the cost of living, it doesn't matter whether you're Pacific or non-Pacific, we're all going through this together. So we want to make sure that the road ahead, in terms of delivery and outcome, that we're getting that to every single person."

One of the most engaging figures in the election was Karl Mokaraka of the Vision NZ/Freedoms New Zealand Party. Mokaraka gained notoriety by imposing his presence on events being held for Chris Hipkins and Christopher Luxon.

He says the campaign was an eye opener.

“I knew things were bad in our communities, especially in Panmure-Ōtāhuhu, but I didn’t know they were that bad. So I think they’re a lot worse, given the climate that we’ve got at the moment.”

A changing of the guard

Sepuloni broke ground as the first Deputy Prime Minister with Pacific heritage, but says she’s confident about returning to opposition with more experience up her sleeve.

“I didn’t want to be in opposition but I think I can do opposition well now, and we will be working hard to hold the government to account.”

Sepuloni hopes they can push back against some of National’s policies that may create worse outcomes for Pacific peoples such as scrapping legislation for Fair Pay Agreements, and changing how benefit rates are calculated.

Fa’anana insists the Green Party will continue to advocate for Pacific peoples even while in opposition, but says it does raise questions how they’ll get the support for their Tagata Moana policy.

“How do we ensure that our language are retained, what are the kinds of pedagogies that we're using in the workplace, how are we going to address the income gap between our girls and white males, it’s like a 27 per cent difference.

“And an amnesty, that’s the stuff we've been pushing the Labour Party on who are usually our friends, but on this they’ve been really slow to show friendship.”

Sepuloni ended with some parting words for the incoming government on their coalition choices.

“Good luck - because I cannot imagine how David Seymour, Winston Peters and Chris Luxon are going to work together and I do not have any faith that Chris Luxon is going to be able to rein in both Winston Peters and David Seymour.”