New Zealand's Youngest MP Takes Parliament By Storm, Performs Maori Haka

A video capturing the maiden address of New Zealand's youngest Member of Parliament in 170 years, Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, delivered in December 2023, has gone viral across social media platforms. In her impassioned speech, the 21-year-old, representing the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, pledged to her constituency, proclaiming, "I will die for you... but I will [also] live for you."

"I feel as if I've already delivered my inaugural speech, outside the Parliament steps last year, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Te Petihana," she stated.

"The previous speech... was dedicated to my grandparents... But today's speech... is devoted to all our children," Maipi-Clarke affirmed.

Aotearoa's youngest MP since 1853, Maipi-Clarke assumed office after her election to the New Zealand Parliament in October of the prior year. She triumphed over Nanaia Mahuta, who had held the seat since its inception in 2008 and had been an MP since 1996, as per the New Zealand Herald.

Addressing her speech, she emphasized, "To the tamariki Māori who have been sitting in the back of their classroom their whole life, whakamā, waiting generations longing to learn their native tongue, to the tamariki who haven't been to their pepeha yet, it is waiting for you with open arms."

"Never fit in. You are perfect. You are the perfect fit," Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke concluded.

Maipi-Clarke's involvement in politics is rooted in her lineage. Her great-great-great-great-grandfather, Wiremu Katene, served as the first Maori minister to the Crown in 1872. Her aunt, Hana Te Hemara, played a pivotal role in presenting the Māori language petition to the New Zealand Parliament in 1972. Additionally, her grandfather, Taitimu Maipi, gained national attention in 2018 for defacing a statue of Captain John Hamilton, the eponym of Hamilton city, as a form of protest against Hamilton's colonial legacy and unjust treatment towards Māori, according to The Guardian. Taitimu Maipi is affiliated with the Maori activist group 'Nga Tamatoa.'

Hailing from Huntly, a small town between Auckland and Hamilton, Maipi-Clarke manages a Māori community garden, māra kai, which educates local children about gardening following the Māori lunar calendar, The Guardian reported. Additionally, she authored a book urging young individuals to connect with the stars and the moon for self-healing.

Her activism revolves around championing the rights of indigenous communities in New Zealand.