'Coalition of colonisers': Te Pāti Māori on National, ACT policies

Te Pāti Māori has hit back at the moniker "coalition of chaos" with one of their own - "coalition of colonisers".

The nickname 'coalition of chaos' was given by Christopher Luxon last week, when he said a vote for Labour, Te Pāti Māori or the Green Party was a vote for a coalition of chaos.

Today, Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi targeted National and ACT policies.

"You've got Opposition wanting to get rid of the bright line test, you've got Opposition wanting to lock up more Māori, lock up more rangatahi.

"Because if they're not able to afford a home, where are you going to put them? They're going to end up on the streets and they're going to end up in those institutions that actually are supported by National and ACT.

"They're calling us the coalition of chaos, theirs is actually the coalition of colonisation, continuing to colonise our people."

Co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said that required "push back".

"We can't support ever having a coalition of colonisers."

In the parliamentary debating chamber today, Labour deputy leader Kelvun Davis said a National-led government, especially one with ACT, would be a "coalition of cuts".

Rawiri Waititi said Te Pāti Māori "represents all views of tangata whenua".

It followed Waititi's comments yesterday Te Pāti Māori was "the only tangata whenua party".

Asked by 1News if the party represented all views of Māori, Waititi said it represented all views of tangata whenua "absolutely".

"We don't come in here representing some views of tangata whenua."

Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said their party was the only one that "reminds [the] Parliament and Government and Aotearoa of te Tiriti".

"We're the only party that talks to a te Tiriti-centric Aotearoa, and the last time I looked, we're probably the only party that comes in makes sure that we're staying focused on mana motuhake, so from a political perspective, a Tiriti perspective, absolutely."

Asked if that meant all Māori agreed with Te Pāti Māori's policies, Ngarewa-Packer said it was to say that all Māori were "entitled to be considered in te Tiriti o Waitangi, whether they actively support that or a part of it, it doesn't matter, they're all affected by it".