If Labour wants the Māori seats back, it needs to win over a new generation

The Spinoff February 17, 2026

A digitally fluent, politically literate Māori generation is reshaping power in real time – and Labour must decide whether it can keep up. If you’re like me and anticipating the next election, you might also be asking who is truly fit to lead Māori now. I sit on the cusp of the millennial and gen Z generations – young enough to feel the energy of what’s shifting – but old enough to recognise what is no longer working.