The National Party’s Māngere Electorate Facebook page made negative comments about Māori during a Facebook live event. Later, the Party apologized. The comments were made during a live broadcast of a pōwhiri at Turangawaewae marae for the Koroneihana. The comment stated, “It’s always Māori putting down Māori the most. Māori can never be united people!” These comments were deleted soon after, but many viewers questioned who had made them.
Te Ao Māori News contacted the National Party, which confirmed that the page belonged to them. A spokesperson explained that someone from the Māngere electorate accidentally used the party’s page instead of their personal account to post the comments.
The spokesperson said, “These comments do not reflect the National Party’s views. The member has apologized, and the Māngere electorate has removed their access to the Facebook page.”
