Takutai Moana Kemp
ONZM MP
Kemp in 2022
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Tāmaki Makaurau
Assumed office
14 October 2023
Preceded byPeeni Henare
Majority42
Personal details
Political partyTe Pāti Māori

Takutai Moana Natasha Kemp ONZM is a New Zealand politician and hiphop dance director. Kemp won the Tāmaki Makaurau electorate for the Māori Party by 42 votes in the official results of the 2023 New Zealand general election.

Early life

Kemp comes from the iwi (tribes) of Ngā Rauru, Ngāti Tuwharetoa, Ngā iwi o Mōkai Pātea, Ngāti Tamakōpiri, Ngāti Whitikaupeka, Ngāi Te Ohuake, Ngāti Hauiti, Ngāti Hinemanu and Ngāti Paki.[1]

Career

Kemp was director of Hip Hop International, the organisation that arranges the qualifying event for New Zealand teams in the World Hip Hop Championship. She was a trustee and Auckland manager for Street Dance New Zealand, and CEO of the Manurewa Marae. She developed the Rangatahi Mental Health Youth Hub with the University of Auckland, with the aim of addressing high youth suicide rates in Māori youth. In the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours, Kemp was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to street dance and youth.[2] Kemp was a prominent community voice for vaccination for South Auckland during the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]

Political career

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2023–present 54th Tāmaki Makaurau 6 Te Pāti Māori

Kemp was selected by Te Pāti Māori to contest the Tāmaki Makaurau seat at the 2023 election. She was 6th on the party list.[1] The official results, released on 3 November 2023, showed Kemp had won the Tāmaki Makaurau electorate by 4 votes. Kemp received 10,050 electorate votes while Labour's candidate, Peeni Henare, received 10,046.[4][5] A recount was requested; once completed, Kemp retained the seat with a final margin of 42 votes.[6][7]

As of 15 November, the Electoral Commission is investigating complaints voting at Manurewa Marae, which is led by Kemp. The marae was used as a polling station, and according to video shown to Stuff, a Te Pāti Māori campaign song was played on loudspeakers during voting.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 Joseph Los'e (4 November 2023). "Manurewa Marae CEO eyes future in national politics". NZ Herald. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  2. ↑ "Queen's Birthday Honours 2021 - Citations for Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit | Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC)". 7 June 2021.
  3. ↑ "Manurewa Marae CEO Takutai Moana Kemp to stand in Tāmaki Makaurau". Te Ao Māori News. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  4. ↑ "Te Pāti Māori claims victory in 6 of the 7 Māori electorates". Radio New Zealand. 3 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  5. ↑ "Tāmaki Makaurau - Official Result". Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  6. ↑ Pearse, Adam (9 November 2023). "Applications for recounts in three electorates formally lodged". NZ Herald. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  7. ↑ "Judicial recounts confirm Helen White and Takutai Tarsh Kemp as electorate MPs". RNZ. 15 November 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  8. ↑ McConnell, Glenn (14 November 2023). "Polling station played Te Pāti Māori waiata on election day". Stuff. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
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