In Parekura’s wake

Meka Whaitiri loves getting out of her Wellington office and returning to her university-day stomping grounds of Wainuiomata and Taita. Granted, her office has an appealing address, but even an office in Parliament House with its native timber-lined walls can be a bit glum when it’s windowless.

Whaitiri is the Labour MP for Ikaroa-Rawhiti, a Maori electorate stretching from East Cape to Baring Head.

She was first elected following the 2013 Ikaroa-Rawhiti byelection, triggered by the death of former Minister of Maori Affairs, and Whaitiri’s former boss, Parekura Horomia.

‘‘He would always ask when I would run [ for Parliament],’’ Whaitiri said.

‘‘I wasn’t interested but after he passed, I knew I would be able to sleep at night if I gave him his final wish.’’

Parliament House is a long way from Whakatu, a small town near Hastings, where Whaitiri grew up in a meat-working family.

She said the challenges Maori faced these days in her hometown were seen throughout her electorate, whether in Wainuiomata or Wairoa, Timberlea or Pahiatua.

Where manufacturing industries had closed down there had been difficulties, she said.

‘‘Back in the day we didn’t have the negative statistics we see today,’’ Whaitiri said, ‘‘the crime, the teenage pregnancies, the unemployment.

‘‘ I grew up seeing people actively engaged, wanting to work. You got called out big time in our community if you were unemployed.’’

After leaving Whakatu to study at Victoria University, Whaitiri found herself living in Wainuiomata, then Taita.

Whaitiri played representative softball and netball during her university days in the Hutt, including netball at national level.

Whaitiri said when she was on marae throughout her electorate there were subtle differences in the issues people raised, but there were common issues throughout the seat.

In Wainuiomata, the big issues kaumatua raised were around superannuation, housing affordability and unemployment.

‘‘They want their grandchildren to be able to get decent jobs.’’

At Seaview’s Kokiri Marae, the biggest concerns were about health funding.

‘‘They worry about losing DHB funding for their health service.

‘‘I’ve been there several times to help them.’’

At Upper Hutt’s Orongomai Marae it was issues relating to workplace relations and employment that Whaitiri had been asked about the most.

‘‘The times I’ve been there have been when the unions have been there.

‘‘The Service and Food Workers’ Union in the Hutt are worried about rate of the minimum wage, getting a living wage for workers and stopping workers losing their conditions.’’

But it was concerns about Maori health that seemed to affect Whaitiri the most strongly.

She said the formula for Maori health funding was often wrong.

‘‘It’s always at the treatment end,’’ she said.

‘‘We wait until people are really sick and then we try to treat things at that point.

‘‘Our policies need to be more preventative.’’

One project Whaitiri thought had been worthy of receiving health funding long before it did was the IronMaori triathlon.

It’s an event Whaitiri said she had participated in for five years and one that had tangible health benefits.

It also had the advantage of having been organised by Maori, for Maori, she said.

‘‘It started small, but now it sells out in seven minutes with up to 2000 competing.’’

Whaitiri said most Maori taking part in the events took their training seriously, no matter how unfit they were at the beginning.

‘‘In Napier you can see people on their bikes, in lycra, that you never thought you would ever see in lycra.

‘‘ Or people swimming wearing swimsuits in sizes you didn’t know they made.’’

Whaitiri said there was a battle in Hawke’s Bay for the event to be seen as a health initiative when it first began.

She said she hoped similar events developed in the future with real health benefits would be able to more easily get access to health funding.