# 2004 Te Tai Hauauru by-election

The Te Tai Hauauru by-election was a by-election in the New Zealand electorate of Te Tai Hauāuru, one of the Māori electorates. The date set for the by-election was 10 July 2004. It saw the re-election of Tariana Turia, a former MP for the Labour Party and now co-leader of the Māori Party.
Turia had quit both Parliament and the Labour Party in protest over the government's position in the foreshore and seabed controversy. She contested the by-election as a member of the new Māori Party, which she played a leading role in establishing. None of the major parties contested the by-election, and Turia was always the overwhelming favourite to win. Perhaps due to the apparent inevitability of a win for Turia, only around 32% of Te Tai Hauauru voters cast ballots.
Nominations for the by-election closed on 15 June 2004. Candidates were:
* Tariana Turia (Māori Party)
* Peter Wakeman, a Labour Party member who stood as an independent.
* Dun Mihaka (Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party), a veteran Māori activist best known for baring his buttocks to the Queen on her 1983 Royal Tour of New Zealand.
* Tahu Nepia, who stood as an independent, but represented the Ratana movement, with the intent of establishing an Independent Ratana Party to contest the next general election.
* Rusty Kane, an independent who campaigned on the platform that Māori electorates should be abolished.
* David Bolton, independent.
If no candidates had been put forward to oppose Turia, she would have been declared the winner without a vote – this initially appeared possible, and given the cost of a by-election (estimated at almost NZ$500,000), many hoped that a vote could be avoided.
The holding of a by-election was criticised by a number other parties. The Labour Party, of which Turia was originally a member (and which has traditionally dominated the Māori electorates) has called the by-election "a waste of time and money", and a "sideshow" although the by-election was required by Labour-supported waka-jumping law in force at the time. Labour nominated Errol Mason to contest the seat at the subsequent 2005 general election, losing to Turia.

## Results

The following table shows the final results of the by-election:
2004 Te Tai Hauauru by-election :
| Notes: Blue background denotes the winner of the by-election. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list prior to the by-election. Yellow background denotes the winner of the by-election, who was a list MP prior to the by-election. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. ||||||
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Māori Party | Y Tariana Turia | 7,256 | 92.74 | |
| | Legalise Cannabis | Dun Mihaka | 197 | 2.52 | |
| | Independent | Tahu Nepia | 183 | 2.24 | |
| | Independent | Peter Wakeman | 80 | 1.02 | |
| | Independent | David Bolton | 70 | 0.89 | |
| | Independent | Rusty Kane | 38 | 0.49 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,059 | 24.9 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,861$^a$ | 27.85 | |
| | Māori Party gain from Labour | Māori Party gain from Labour | Swing | | |
$^a$ Includes 37 informal votes but does not include any disallowed special votes.