Mike Tana elected as the first Maori to hold the Porirua Mayoralty

Image: newly elected Maory of Porirua, Mike Tana

Former President of the PSA Union, Mike Tana, has been elected as the first Maori to hold the Porirua Mayoralty after Local Government elections held over the weekend. The win was by a thin margin of just 140 votes but was enough for the new comer to get across the line. Tana told reporters that the decision to run was a tough one given his close family ties:

“This again took me away from my family, so this had to be a decision made by my family, but mainly my wife. And she didn't tell me until right at the end!”

Tana has said that Maori play a significant role to play when it comes to Local Government: “Māori have a much bigger role to play and that's as mana whenua, as tangata whenua for which ever area we are in. I think the council should be going to Māori, not the other way around.”

“As a new mayor I should be walking in here, tangata whenua should be right here talking to me about what their aspirations are and I should be looking at that as a mayor and as a Māori.”