Tama Potaka

The Honourable
Tama Potaka
MP
Potaka in 2023
46th Minister for Māori Development
Incumbent
Assumed office
27 November 2023
Prime MinisterChristopher Luxon
Preceded byWillie Jackson
17th Minister of Conservation
Incumbent
Assumed office
27 November 2023
Prime MinisterChristopher Luxon
Preceded byWillow-Jean Prime
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Hamilton West
Incumbent
Assumed office
10 December 2022
Preceded byGaurav Sharma
Majority2,433
Personal details
Born
Tama William Potaka

(1976-01-08) 8 January 1976 (age 49)
Raetihi, New Zealand
Political partyNational
Spouse
Ariana Paul
​
(m. 2008)​
Children3
Alma materVictoria University of Wellington
Columbia University

Tama William Potaka (born 8 January 1976) is a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives representing the Hamilton West electorate. He is a member of the National Party and was chief executive of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki before entering Parliament.

Early life and family

Potaka was born in Raetihi in 1976.[1][2] He has Māori ancestry through both of his parents, who were schoolteachers, and he affiliates to Ngāti Hauiti, Whanganui, Taranaki, and Ngāti Toa.[1][3][2] He was educated at Huntley School and Te Aute College, where he was classmates with Julian Wilcox, Aidan Warren, Billy Weepu, Karl Te Nana and Alistair Toto and became dux in 1993.[1][4] He received Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees from Victoria University of Wellington in 1999, and with a scholarship earned a Master of Laws from Columbia University.[1][4][2] He passed the bar exam and became an attorney at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in New York City.[1]

Potaka is a graduate of Te Panekiretanga o Te Reo Māori[5]

Potaka married Ariana Paul in 2008, and they have three children.[1][2]

Potaka worked for Rudd, Watts and Stone (now Minter Ellison), various public policy roles, with Lake Taupō Funds, and Bell Gully.[2] Potaka then spent seven years based in Hamilton, working as general manager corporate services for Tainui Group Holdings. He subsequently moved back to Auckland where he was a senior advisor at the New Zealand Superannuation Fund.[6] He was appointed chief executive officer of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki Trust in 2020. In 2021, he was chosen as one of four lead negotiators for the Mōkai Pātea Treaty of Waitangi claim.[7]

Political career

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate Party
2022–2023 53rd Hamilton West National
2023–present 54th Hamilton West 24 National

First term, 2022–2023

On 6 November 2022, Potaka was selected as the National Party candidate for the 2022 Hamilton West by-election caused by the resignation of independent MP Gaurav Sharma who had been expelled from the Labour Party.[8] During the by-election campaign, Potaka stated that Hamilton had become known as the "ramraid capital of New Zealand" in response to the nationwide surge in ram raids in 2022. He also said that he wanted "Hamilton West to be the best city to grow up and grow old in."[9]

On 10 December 2022, Potaka won the election, beating Labour candidate Georgie Dansey. Potaka gained 6974 votes compared to Dansey's 4541, a margin of 2433.[10]

On 19 January 2023, Potaka was named as National's spokesperson for Māori development and associate spokesperson for housing.[11][12]

Second term, 2023–present

During the 2023 New Zealand general election held on 14 October, Potaka retained Hamilton West by a margin of 6,488 votes over Labour candidate Myra Williamson.[13]

Following the formation of the Sixth National Government of New Zealand, Potaka was appointed as Minister of Conservation, Minister for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti, Minister for Māori Development, Minister for Whānau Ora, and Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) [14]

On 15 January 2024, Potaka and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met with the Māori King Tūheitia Paki to discuss several of the Government's policies concerning Māori including the proposed Treaty Principles legislation and plans to roll back the use of Māori language in the public service.[15] On 20 January, Potaka and fellow National MP Dan Bidois attended a national hui of unity convened by King Tūheitia at Turangawaewae Marae. Potaka defended Luxon's decision not to attend the national hui and disputed several of the speakers' claims that the Government was underpinned by White supremacy.[16]

On 13 August 2024, Potaka as Minister for Māori Crown Relations announced that Te Puni Kōkiri (the Ministry for Māori Development) would assume Te Arawhiti's (the Office for Māori Crown Relations) monitoring and Treaty settlements compliance functions. This decision was criticised by Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, the Green Party's Māori Crown Relations spokesperson Steve Abel and the Labour Party's Peeni Henare, who described it as a "backward step" in the New Zealand Crown's relationship with Māori.[17]

On 14 October 2024, Potaka as Minister of Conservation announced 19 new marine protection areas in the Hauraki Gulf.[18]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Husband, Dale (9 October 2022). "Tama Potaka: For Māori, there's no economy without identity and society". E-Tangata. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e Los'e, Joseph (26 April 2023). "Tama Potaka: What's a nice Maori like you doing in the National Party". The New Zealand Herald. NZME. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Our team: Ariana Paul". The Southern Initiative. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  4. ^ a b Mathers, Joanna (19 July 2015). "Getting our dux in a row". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  5. ^ "Wh2019 Ep36 Panekiretanga Ep2". YouTube. 18 April 2020.
  6. ^ "Alumni journeys – Tama Potaka". Leadership New Zealand. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  7. ^ Jacobsen, Lavinia (19 November 2021). "Negotiators Appointed for Mōkai Pātea Waitangi Claims Trust". Mōkai Pātea Waitangi Claims Trust. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  8. ^ Franke-Bowell, Jonah (6 November 2022). "Tama Potaka announced as National's pick to contest Hamilton West by-election". Stuff. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  9. ^ Franke-Bowell, Jonah (17 November 2022). "National would bring back military boot camps for young offenders". Stuff. Archived from the original on 19 November 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  10. ^ Le Quesne, Karl. "Results of the 2022 Hamilton West By-election Official Count". New Zealand Gazette. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  11. ^ Ward, Stephen (19 January 2023). "Hamilton's Tama Potaka picks up Māori development and social housing roles for National". Waikato Times. Stuff. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  12. ^ New Zealand National Party (19 January 2023). "Luxon Sets Out Team To Contest The 2023 Election". Scoop. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  13. ^ "Hamilton West - Official Result". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  14. ^ "Who gets what? List of New Zealand's new ministers". 1News. TVNZ. 24 November 2023. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  15. ^ Hurihanganui, Te Aniwa (16 January 2024). "More details emerge from Luxon's meeting with Māori King". 1News. TVNZ. Archived from the original on 16 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  16. ^ Pearse, Adam (20 January 2024). "Hui's white supremacy claims against government 'premature', says National minister Tama Potaka". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 21 January 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Government 'clarifying' functions of Te Arawhiti and Te Puni Kōkiri". RNZ. 13 August 2024. Archived from the original on 14 August 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  18. ^ "New marine protection areas in Hauraki Gulf announced". RNZ. 14 October 2024. Retrieved 25 October 2024.