29 Facts About Debbie Ngarewa-Packer

Debbie Anne Ngarewa-Packer is a New Zealand politician, iwi leader and activist.

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer is a Member of Parliament and co-leader of Te Pati Maori alongside Rawiri Waititi, and is the chief executive of the Ngati Ruanui iwi.

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer lost to Labour's Adrian Rurawhe however entered Parliament as a List MP.

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer grew up in Patea and attended New Plymouth Girls' High School.

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer was elected to the South Taranaki District Council in the 2007 local elections, representing the Patea ward.

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer had that role until 2010, when she did not seek re-election.

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has been the kaiarataki of Te Runanga o Ngati Ruanui, an organisation that runs healthcare centres in Hawera and Patea.

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has advocated for Maori health and the environment at a grassroots level for many years.

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer "put her hand up" to be the Maori Party's candidate for the Te Tai Hauauru electorate for the 2017 election, saying she had been approached by party co-leader Tariana Turia and that she had "supported the Maori Party from day one".

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer had the party's number one list position for the election.

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer was generally considered to be the Maori Party's best chance at returning to Parliament; polls showed the party below the 5 per cent party vote threshold, so it would need to win at least one electorate seat to enter.

At the 2020 election, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer was elected as a Member of Parliament.

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer came second in the Te Tai Hauauru electorate, receiving 11,107 electorate votes to Rurawhe's 12,160, but fellow Te Pati Maori co-leader Rawiri Waititi unseated Labour MP Tamati Coffey in the Waiariki electorate.

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer submitted a member's bill in early 2021 which would ban seabed mining in New Zealand waters.

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer criticised the Labour Government's lack of support for a complete ban on seabed mining in New Zealand.

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has called for place names in Taranaki to be reverted to their original te reo Maori names, and the Maori Party presented a petition to parliament calling for New Zealand's official name to be Aotearoa.

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has called upon the Government to "get out of the way" and instead let Maori fix lagging Covid-19 vaccination rates.

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer condemned a plan to gradually ease lockdown restrictions in Auckland that was announced in October 2021.

In 2021, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer criticised the National Party's "Demand The Debate" campaign, saying it fuelled racism.

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer received 16,358 electorate votes, defeating the Labour candidate Soraya Peke-Mason by a margin of 9,162 votes.

In mid-December 2023, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer retained her position as Te Pati Maori co-leader and joined Parliament's health select committee.

In opposition, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer disagreed with the National-led coalition government's repeal of the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Act 2022.

In early December 2024, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer advocated capital gains taxation, claiming that the Government could raise NZ$200 billion from such a tax over six years.

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer based her figures on remarks made by journalist Bernard Hickey during a debate with ACT leader David Seymour.

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer is a descendant of Tutange Waionui of Ngati Ruanui, who fought alongside Titokowaru during the New Zealand Wars and claimed credit for killing Prussian mercenary Gustavus von Tempsky.

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer was a nominee for the Taranaki Daily News person of the year in 2018.

In mid-December 2024, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer was allegedly verbally abused and intimidated by a middle-aged European man while visiting a Whanganui petrol station.

In mid February 2025, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer visited the Cook Islands for her 30th wedding anniversary.

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer expressed agreement with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters about the Cook Islands government's lack of consultation on the controversial partnership agreement.