| Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke | |
| Constituency Mp3: | Hauraki-Waikato |
| Term Start3: | 14 October 2023 |
| Parliament3: | New Zealand |
| Predecessor3: | Nanaia Mahuta |
| Majority3: | 2,911 |
| Party: | Te Pāti Māori |
Hana-Rawhiti Kareariki Maipi-Clarke[1] (born 2002) is a New Zealand politician, representing Te Pāti Māori as a Member of Parliament since the 2023 New Zealand general election. She is the youngest MP since James Stuart-Wortley, who was elected in the when he was aged 20 years and 7 months.
Maipi-Clarke has ancestry in Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou, Te Āti Awa, and Ngāi Tahu.[2] The broadcaster Potaka Maipi is her father.[3] She is the grand-niece of Māori language activist Hana Te Hemara.[4] Taitimu Maipi, whose activism contributed to the removal of the Captain Hamilton statue in 2020, is her grandfather. Wi Katene, the first Māori MP to be appointed to the Executive Council, was her great-great-great-great-grandfather.[5]
Maipi-Clarke received her education at Te Wharekura o Rākaumangamanga in Huntly. Aged 17, she published a book Maahina about maramataka – the Māori lunar calendar. She was inspired by Rangi Mātāmua to research the topic when he lectured about Matariki.[6] In 2023, she gave a training course to the New Zealand Warriors about maramataka and Matariki.[7]
During Te Wiki o te Reo Māori in September 2022, Maipi-Clarke gave a speech on the steps of Parliament House.[8] [9] Several political parties approached Maipi-Clarke afterwards, asking her to consider joining them.
Both Maipi-Clarke and her father were under consideration by Te Pāti Māori as candidates for the Hauraki-Waikato electorate. In the end, the party wanted a "youthful perspective"[10] and she was selected to contest the electorate at the . She was 4th on the 2023 party list. Elected at 21 years old, she is New Zealand's youngest MP since James Stuart-Wortley, who was elected in the country's first general election in 1853 when he was aged 20 years and 7 months.[11] Had Stuart-Wortley not lied about his age (at the time, the minimum age requirement was 21 and he was thus not eligible to stand), she would have been New Zealand's youngest MP ever.[12] [13]
During the campaign, Maipi-Clarke was subject to multiple alleged home invasions, which Te Pāti Māori referred to as politically motivated.[14] An elderly man alleged to be a well-known National Party campaigner was issued a trespass notice by police.[15]
During the 2023 general election held on 14 October, Maipi-Clarke unseated incumbent Labour MP Nanaia Mahuta by a margin of 2,911 votes. At the age of 21 years, Clarke became the youngest member of Parliament in New Zealand in 170 years.[16] [17]
By mid-December 2023, Maipi-Clarke had joined Parliament's Māori affairs select committee. She also became Te Pāti Māori's Māori development, rangatahi (young people), Māori language, Kai (food) sovereignty, agriculture, conservation, sports & recreation, food safety, biosecurity and customs spokesperson.[18]
During her maiden speech in December 2023, Maipi-Clarke criticised the National-led coalition government, claiming that it had "attacked my whole world from every corner." She identified health, the environment, water, land, natural resources and children as key areas of disagreement with the Government.[19]
Maipi-Clarke has supported lowering the voting age to 16 years. Following the landmark 2022 Supreme Court Make It 16 Incorporated v Attorney-General, she supported proposed legislation introduced by the Sixth Labour Government in August 2023 to lower the voting age to 16 years for local elections.[20]