Nā Hora Kairangi Nicholas tēnei atikara
Lisa Marie Murch says her decision to stand for Te Pāti Māori in Te Tai Tonga is driven by one goal, creating a future where tamariki Māori can thrive as Māori. The Ngāi Tahu descendant was recently selected as their candidate for Te Tai Tonga following a five-week selection process.
A mother of seven, Murch says her children have become the driving force behind her political aspirations.
"They are my reason why .. Because we want a future that's going to support them … They should be allowed to be them and celebrate who they are as Māori” she says.
Murch's path into politics follows years of involvement in education governance and advocacy. She served on the board of Te Riu Roa for seven years, where she worked to advance Te Tiriti o Waitangi within schools across Aotearoa. She says those experiences, combined with conversations at home about government policy, convinced her it was time to stand for office.
"Both my partner and I work for government departments," Murch said. "We come home every day and we discuss what's happening in politics and what's happening in the world."
Education and Te Tiriti o Waitangi are central to Murch's campaign.
"We are Te Tiriti. It is hugely important," she said. "I would like to see all the legislation around Te Tiriti o Waitangi reversed."
She has been critical of recent Government changes affecting education, including the removal of the explicit legal requirement for school boards to "give effect to" Te Tiriti o Waitangi, saying she wants to see those decisions reversed.
"It needs to be acknowledged and when Te Tiriti is acknowledged everything works really well," she said.
She is also concerned about changes to the national curriculum, saying they have created uncertainty within the education sector.
"What I'm hearing now is the removal of that from the curriculum is a huge issue," Murch said. "It's creating uncertainty and equity in schools. That's one of my focuses."
While education remains her primary focus, Murch says her campaign is ultimately about ensuring future generations have opportunities to succeed without compromising their identity.
She says Māori children should grow up knowing they can achieve while remaining connected to their culture, language and whakapapa.
Murch is one of four candidates contesting the seat for Te Tai Tonga, one of the country's seven Māori electorates, as parties prepare for the 2026 general election.
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Nā te wawata kia tupu ora ai ngā tamariki Māori hei Māori i tū ai a Lisa Marie Murch hei kaitono mā Te Pāti Māori mō Te Tai Tonga. He uri ia nō Ngāi Tahu, i kōwhiria ia hei māngai mō te pāti mō taua rohe pōti, whai muri i tētahi tukanga kōwhiri e rima wiki te roa.
Tokowhitu āna tamariki, ā, e ai ki a Murch, ko rātou tonu te pūtake i whai ai ia i te ao tōrangapū.
"They are my reason why .. Because we want a future that's going to support them … They should be allowed to be them and celebrate who they are as Māori”
I mua i tana tū hei kaitono, kua roa kē a Murch e mahi ana i ngā kaupapa mātauranga me te kōkiri i ngā take e pā ana ki Te Tiriti o Waitangi. I noho ia ki te poari o Te Riu Roa mō ngā tau e whitu, ā, i reira ka whakapau kaha ia ki te whakatairanga i Te Tiriti o Waitangi puta noa i ngā kura o Aotearoa. Hei tāna, nā aua wheako, me ngā whakawhitinga whakaaro i te kāinga mō ngā kaupapa here a te kāwanatanga, i mōhio ai ia kua tae ki te wā kia tū hei māngai mō te iwi.
"Both my partner and I work for government departments," Murch said. "We come home every day and we discuss what's happening in politics and what's happening in the world."
Kei te aro tana kaupapa ki te mātauranga me Te Tiriti o Waitangi, ā, e whakapono ana ia me whakahoki anō te mana o Te Tiriti ki ngā whakatau a te kāwanatanga.
"We are Te Tiriti. It is hugely important," she said. "I would like to see all the legislation around Te Tiriti o Waitangi reversed."
Kāore a Murch i te whakaae ki ētahi o ngā panonitanga kua mahia e te Kāwanatanga ki te rāngai mātauranga. Ko tētahi tino āwangawanga ki a ia, ko te whakakorenga o te herenga ā-ture i runga i ngā poari whakahaere kura kia whai mana ai, kia whakatinana ai hoki i ngā mātāpono o Te Tiriti o Waitangi. E hiahia ana ia kia whakahokia aua whakaritenga.
"It needs to be acknowledged and when Te Tiriti is acknowledged everything works really well," she said.
E whakaara ana hoki ia i ōna māharahara mō ngā whakarerekētanga ki te marautanga ā-motu. Ko tā Murch, kua hua ake te rangirua ki waenganui i te rāngai mātauranga.
"What I'm hearing now is the removal of that from the curriculum is a huge issue," Murch said. "It's creating uncertainty and equity in schools. That's one of my focuses."
Ahakoa ko te mātauranga tonu te kaupapa matua ki a ia, e mea ana a Murch ko te whāinga nui o tana kaupapa he whakarite kia whai wāhi ngā whakatipuranga kei te heke mai ki te whai oranga, me te kore e whakarērea tō rātou tuakiri Māori.
E whakapono ana ia me tipu ake ngā tamariki Māori me te mōhio ka taea e rātou ngā taumata katoa o te ao te eke, me te mau tonu ki tō rātou ahurea, tō rātou reo me tō rātou whakapapa.
Ko Murch tētahi o ngā kaitono tokowhā e whakataetae ana mō Te Tai Tonga, tētahi o ngā rohe pōti Māori e whitu o te motu, i a ngā rōpū tōrangapū e whakarite ana mō te kōwhiringa pōti whānui o te tau 2026.