Rawiri Waititi

Rawiri Wikuki Waititi (born 17 October 1980 or 1981) is a New Zealand politician and iwi leader. He has been co-leader of Te Pāti Māori since 2020, alongside Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. He has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Waiariki since 2020, when his election returned Te Pāti Māori to the New Zealand Parliament following their defeat at the 2017 general election. Born and raised in the eastern Bay of Plenty, Waititi traces his lineage to many iwi but has firm links to Te Whānau-ā-Apanui and Ngāti Porou. An advocate of progressive political policies, Waititi is a fluent Māori speaker, and is also an iwi leader, Ringatū minister, and kapa haka exponent. He has been prominent and vocal in his opposition to the policies towards Māori of the Sixth National Government of New Zealand since the 2023 general election.