The 21-year-old Maori Member of Parliament Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke is the youngest MP in New Zealand in 170 years. She delivered her first most powerful maiden speech. In her inaugural speech, Hana Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke invoked the traditional ‘haka’ or ‘war cry’ in the parliamentary setting. It is a way of representing and celebrating the Indigenous people. The video quickly gained popularity.
She defeated the well-liked incumbent Nanaia Mahuta, who had been serving as the Hauraki-Waikato seat representative since 2008. As an activist, Maipi-Clarke finds motivation for the rights of New Zealand’s indigenous communities. She was motivated by her grandfather Taitimu Maipi, who is a part of the Maori group Nga Tamatoa.
Maipi-Clarke made a promise to her voters last month in her impassioned speech: “I will die for you…..but I will also live for you,’ as reported by the New Zealand Herald. She spoke to Maori kids who had always wanted to speak in their mother tongue and encouraged them to value their individuality.
One of the netizen wrote, “Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke New Zealand’s Youngest MP (21), representing Te Pāti Māori, Reminds me of Kantara
Some of the netizens requested others for not to spread hatred and disrespectful as Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke simply honouring her roots.
One wrote, “Please do due diligence before forwarding videos – since morning people are forwarding this video & calling her the Mahua of Arab world
This is so wrong … she is 21 year old, Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, of Te Pāti Māori, MP from NZ honouring her roots ❤️
“Be respectful and do not spread misinformation or hatred. She is Hana Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, youngest female MP representing their people in the New Zealand Parliament. And she is celebrating the native people of NZ by performing their ‘war cry’ in parliament.”
Elected in October Maipi-Clarke, originally from Huntly, a small town between Auckland and Hamilton. She is the manager of a Maori community garden where she teaches kids about gardening using the lunar calendar of the community.
