# Tākuta Ferris

Tākuta "Doc" Ferris (born 1978) is a New Zealand politician. A member of Te Pāti Māori, he was elected to the New Zealand House of Representatives at the 2023 general election as the MP for Te Tai Tonga. Ferris's electoral success was one of the biggest surprises of the 2023 general election. His win was unexpected, with the family of the incumbent Rino Tirikatene having held the Te Tai Tonga electorate for 72 of the last 91 years.

## Early life and career

Ferris was born in 1978. Piri Sciascia was his uncle. Ferris has a degree in Māori design and art, as well as a degree in mātauranga Māori, both from Te Wānanga o Raukawa. He is of the Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Porou iwi. Ferris was a lecturer and adviser at Massey University's Manawatū campus. He describes himself as "a fisherman, a diver, and an artist".

## Political career
### 2020 election campaign

On 10 May 2020, Tākuta Ferris was selected as the Māori Party candidate for Te Tai Tonga for the 2020 election. Ferris was quoted as saying that "the status quo is no longer acceptable. It is our responsibility to challenge it and change the development narrative for our tamariki and mokopuna." Ferris was beaten by the incumbent, Rino Tirikatene, by a margin of over 6,800 votes. Following the announcement of the proposed closure of the Tiwai Point Aluminium Smelter, Ferris called for the government to put whānau first, arguing that central and regional government should intervene with an aim for a more diversified regional economy.

### 2023 election campaign

Ferris was re-selected to stand in Te Tai Tonga for Te Pāti Māori in the 2023 election. His campaign strategy targeted younger voters because older people are "entrapped in the status quo". He stated he intended to increase support for himself from younger people over three to fifteen years as they grow up. Ferris stood in for his party's co-leaders in The Press leaders' debate. He was praised for his contributions to the debate; despite sparring against two senior politicians—Winston Peters and David Seymour—Ferris "stood out from the pack" and was "shining". However, journalists considered Ferris "still has little chance of making it to Parliament" since the incumbent Tirikatene's family had represented Te Tai Tonga and its predecessor electorate for 72 of the last 91 years and an opinion poll in late September 2023 had Tirikatene ahead with an 11-point margin. Despite these predictions, Ferris defeated Tirikatene with a 2,800-vote margin.

### First term, 2023–present

During his maiden speech on 12 December, Ferris stated that he was there not to service the needs of the New Zealand House of Representatives but rather to "contest it." He also criticised the National-led coalition government's policies which he claimed attacked Māori language and culture. He was appointed Te Pāti Māori's education, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, justice, police, corrections, drug law reform, water, fisheries, forestry, broadcasting and public service spokesperson and sits on Parliament's justice committee.
On 25 September 2024, Speaker of the House Gerry Brownlee referred Ferris to Parliament's Privileges Committee after he made remarks accused Members of Parliament of lying. He said:
   "Politicians call this obfuscation. The art of making something unclear, intentionally vague, ambiguous, to conceal or obscure the truth, to confuse others. Lies – in other words. Many in this House are masters of it, and it is a disservice to those who voted you into your positions."
In response, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters called for a point of order. When Brownlee asked Ferris to withdraw the comment and apologise, he denied making the comment. Brownlee referred Ferris to the Privileges Committee on the grounds that Ferris had "deliberately misled" the House. The Committee reported back in February 2025, finding that Ferris did deliberately mislead the House and recommended that he apologise.

## Footnotes

* ↑ During 2023, the Māori Party formally changed its name to Te Pāti Māori