The Māori Vote 2026: Party choice, the cost of living and the Māori electorates

In this special episode of MATA Reports, we reveal the results of our poll of Maori voters on both the general and Maori rolls. Who are they giving their party vote to this election, and how is the cost of living affecting their everyday lives? Panellists Tau Henare, Tina Wickliffe, Jack Tautokai McDonald and Maringi James join us to unpack the results and share their whakaaro about the contests shaping up in the Maori electorates.This episode was recorded prior to the passing of The Right Honourable Adrian Rurawhe. E te rangatira Adrian, ko te aunga o te moe ki a koe.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Mining, mahi, te Tiriti, and te reo Māori. Shane Jones sits down with Mihingarangi Forbes for a wide-ranging kōrero on the coalition’s record and whether he thinks Māori are better off under this government.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The Opportunity Party leader Qiulae Wong sits down with Mihingarangi to discuss her party's newly released policies on Te Tiriti o Waitangi, tino rangatiratanga and Māori development, and what they could mean for Māori voters.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The Human Rights Commission says the government has failed to recognise and support the forestry workers, whānau and communities exposed to the highly toxic timber preservative pentachlorophenol (PCP). Mihingarangi speaks with Sawmill Workers Against Poisons co-chair Kereama Akuhata and longtime campaigner and former Green MP Catherine Delahunty about PCP’s intergenerational legacy and the ongoing struggle to access the support affected whānau need.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The nation watched with urgency as police searched for Tom Phillips and his three children. But as the search faded from the headlines over the following three years, so too did the voice of the woman left behind. For the first time since her children were found, Cat Christey tells her story.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

One of Aotearoa’s oldest and most extraordinary archaeological discoveries remains buried beneath the sands of Rēkohu, two years after it was found. Mihingarangi Forbes speaks with archaeologist Dr Justin Maxwell, with additional perspectives from Monique Croon (Deputy Chair, Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri Trust), Thomas Lanauze (Chair, Moriori Imi Settlement Trust), and one of the local men who discovered the waka Vince Dix.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Matariki is a time to remember loved ones who have passed. Reo and tikanga exponents Niwa Milroy and Heeni Te Mate Koiwi know that journey of grief intimately. Heeni shares the loss of her daughter Taiiringa last year, while Niwa reflects on farewelling both of her parents Wharehuia and Marion. Together with Stacey Morrison, they explore how tikanga and mātauranga Māori can help us navigate grief, honour our loved ones, and find healing.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

A day after announcing their flagship tax policy, Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson speaks to Mihingarangi about tackling “corporate greed,” how banning bottom trawling will impact the bottom line for iwi, the Greens' strategy in the Māori seats, and the party’s coalition bottom lines -- would they consider working with NZ First to change the government?Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Kiringāua Cassidy belongs to a generation of Ngāi Tahu rangatahi raised in te reo Māori. As a tangata hauā who uses a wheelchair, he has also navigated Māori spaces that haven't always been designed with accessibility in mind. Kiringāua joins Stacey Morrison to discuss reo, leadership and belonging, and what it will take to ensure physical barriers never become barriers to language, identity and belonging.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

State abuse survivor and Māori advocate for Intersex Aotearoa, Tu Chapman discusses New Zealand First’s bill to legally define “woman” and “man” and the consequences critics warn it could have for intersex, transgender and non-binary communities.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details