Kia ora!

Ko Pūtauaki te maunga
Ko Ōhinemataroa te awa
Ko Rangataua te marae
Ko Ngāti Rangataua te hapū
Ko Ngāti Pūkeko te iwi
Ko Ngāti Awa te toki, tē tangatanga i te rā, tē ngohengohe i te wai
I te taha o tōku māmā, nō Kōtirana, nō Peina  nō Ingarangi hoki ōku tupuna
I tipu ake ahau ki Waikato ki te tonga, ko Tokoroa te kāinga
E noho ana ahau ki Te Whanganui a Tara kei raro i te mana o te raukura o Te Ātiawa. E ai kī a Te Whiti “ko taku raukura, he manawanui ki te ao”
Ko Tamatha Paul tōku ingoa
Tēnā koutou

My name is Tamatha Paul.

It has been the honour of my life to work as your Member of Parliament for the past few years. Now, I’m asking for your trust and belief once more to win the new seat of Wellington North. 

I grew up in the small, working class town of Tokoroa where my mum cared for the elderly and my dad drove trucks. Growing up during the John Key National Party era, it never sat right with me that my parents and my friends’ whānau worked really long, hard weeks but still struggled to pay all the bills.

It concerned me as a child to look at the poverty around us and not see the council or a local MP beside us to help. 

I was the first person in my family to go to university. Studying in Wellington, I saw peoples’ struggles right alongside a breadth of diversity and immense pride. I saw opportunities to change things for the better too.  

After serving a term as a Wellington City Councillor, I became the first wahine Māori MP for Wellington Central, my first parliamentary term at 26 years old. 

What motivates me is a world where everyone can live well, regardless of the kind of work they do, or the needs they have. Where our tamariki speak te reo Māori as their first language, where they can fish, hunt and harvest like their parents and grandparents could. Where mokopuna are born into a country that respects and upholds each person’s mana and dignity. 

My track record:

I don’t just “know” how to get things done. With your support I have been consistently building collective power in our community to deliver enduring wins in our city:

• Securing Te Atakura, a historic commitment to make Wellington a zero carbon capital by 2050

• Making it easier to build new affordable homes in Wellington through our District Plan 

• Launching the Pōneke Promise city safety plan, putting $7.2m towards initiatives to reduce harm and improve public and community spaces

• Securing funding for Wellington Women’s Homelessness Trust and a new building for Wellington City Mission (Whakamaru) 

• Restoring indigenous place names around our city and championing te reo Māori 

• Helping to secure a new medium-sized music venue, Meow Nui 

• Strengthening and supporting New Zealand’s first ever law against harassment and stalking 

• Fighting everyday for the human rights of the most marginalised Wellingtonians, making sure they can access the support they need

• Speaking up for Te Tiriti and our precious environment through my leadership pushing back on Treaty Principles Bill and the Regulatory Standards Bill

By voting two ticks Green this election, you’ll help make this a one-term government and help me to be a strong advocate for Pōneke. 

Together, we can win the North!