Photography: Kirsty Joy Creative.
Growing up as the seventh of 10 children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi learned early on that everyone had a role to play – and that you worked not just for yourself, but for the good of the whole whānau.
“Mummy and Daddy had a very strict model,” remembers the Te Pāti Māori MP.
“You work and you play, but you don’t play before you work. “Ten kids in a four-bedroom home… it was about systems and processes. We were a community of our own in a way.”
Talking to the Weekly from the Whangārei home she moved to as a young child and still lives in today, Mariameno pauses to wipe away tears as the memories flood back.
“Mummy and Daddy would go out fishing often to provide kai, and we learned to tend gardens, cook, and prepare and preserve food.”
She loved her upbringing surrounded by siblings, but she also saw how hard it was at times to provide for a large family. So for many years, Mariameno was certain motherhood wasn’t on the cards. She remembers being in her mid-thirties, working as a social worker in Taupō advocating for families, and still thinking, “I won’t be doing that – I’m not wired for children.”
But life had other plans. In a twist she and husband Korotangi never saw coming, with no known history of multiples in the family, Mariameno found out she was pregnant with triplets at age 36.
“And along came three babies who changed my mind and changed everything,” smiles Mariameno, of her sons Eru, Heemi and Tipene, now 30.
Defying medical expectations
While pregnant, her obstetrician was adamant she should be on bed rest from 28 weeks. Mariameno refused, believing without a doubt her body was capable of continuing.
“I’m 5ft 1 [1.55m], so it was a lot to pack in, but because I am strong and my body was strong, I just carried on,” says Mariameno, who has a fourth-degree black belt in the Japanese martial art Aikido.
At 36 weeks, her waters broke on the morning she was scheduled for an induction. Mariameno went on to have the boys by Caesarean section.
Surrounded by whānau love
“When I was wheeled into the theatre, all of my family was there lining the corridor, singing at the top of their voices,” she smiles.
“It’s still amazing when I think about it now.”
Five years later, she gave birth to her daughter Tōrerenuiarua, now 25.
“Having just one baby felt like a walk in the park,” laughs Mariameno.
A life of service and leadership
Now she’s also the proud grandmother of five. After 30 years working in iwi health and social services, in 2023, Mariameno made the move to politics after winning the Te Tai Tokerau seat.
It’s still that same deep sense of responsibility from her childhood to work hard for others’ wellbeing that drives her. Mariameno explains, “I have the reputation that if I hear anything across the road, I will go knock on the door and check on them. If I hear kids or women stressed, I’ll make it my business. I will always intervene.”
The beginnings of confidence
Mariameno’s determination was evident from a young age. She recalls going to see the guidance counsellor in high school to look for a job.
“She showed me two vacancies and pointed me to one in a shoe factory,” recalls Mariameno, who was instantly drawn to the other listing, looking for an office junior at George Courts department store.
Ignoring the suggestion that she wouldn’t be suitable for the role, Mariameno walked straight to the store in her school uniform to request an interview. She was hired on the spot.
“Some days I wonder, ‘Why did I think I could be that bold at 16?’”
A fight for justice
Late last year, she drew on that self-confidence again after Te Pāti Māori expelled her amid accusations of fund misuse. Mariameno took her fight to the High Court, stating simply, “I cannot bear injustice. Whether it’s across the road, in my own whānau, a club I’m part of or in my own party, I’m a step-in and step-up girl.”
In March this year, the court ruled her expulsion unlawful and reinstated her as a member of Te Pāti Māori. The court also found there was no evidential basis to support claims she used party funds for personal gain. As for what comes next, Mariameno doesn’t yet know if her future lies with Te Pāti Māori, but she does intend to stand again in the election for the Te Tai Tokerau seat. And her whānau is behind her all the way.
What drives her forward
“I have the power of having great family right by me – my siblings, a loving, devoted husband, my kids and now my moko,” enthuses Mariameno.
“They are the reason I do this and what feeds me.”
