Kelvin Davis in his office at Parliament, having announced his plan to resign on Waitangi Day 2024. Photo: RNZ / Anneke Smith
This story has been amended to reflect that Kelvin Davis is still an MP, and to properly attribute the comment on government policies setting race relations back decades to Davis.
Senior Labour MP Kelvin Davis is calling time on politics, announcing he will quit Parliament effective from Waitangi Day.
The former Labour deputy leader, who led Māori-Crown Relations, says the prime minister should be attending Waitangi Day for several days and fully engaging with the iwi chairs.
He says he did not want to become bitter - having seen the work he's done already being eroded in the two weeks of the new government, whose policies he says will take race relations back decades.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins pays tribute to Kelvin Davis on social media after the announcement of his former deputy leader's decision to leave politics. Photo: Screenshot / Instagram / Chris Hipkins
Davis was first elected in 2008 and has been a senior figure in the party as deputy leader during the 2017 and 2020 terms.
He was also Minister of Corrections, Children, Māori Education, Māori Crown relations and Tourism.
In the lead-up to the election, Davis indicated he would quit politics if he lost his Te Tai Tokerau seat, saying he would have lost his mandate.
Davis was defeated by Te Pāti Māori in Te Tai Tokerau in October, but stayed on as a list MP.
Te Pāti Māori's Te Tai Tokerau MP acknowledged Davis for his contribution to Northland.
Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, who won the seat off Mr Davis at the election in October, said she wished him the best for his new endeavours when she spoke to him this morning.
She said she was looking forward to the Waitangi celebrations in February, which will provide a chance to formally recognise Davis and the service he had given to his people.
He said in November ACT's proposal for a referendum on the Treaty of Waitangi had motivated him to stay, but this week he told his caucus his time was up.
"It's been an honour and a privilege to be a member of Parliament in the first instance and to be a member of Te Tai Tokerau, but also to be a minister - that's where real change happens - and I'm proud of the legacy that I helped to create in Māori-Crown relations."
He said that legacy had, however, been "devastated already in the two weeks that this government has been in place".
"They need to realise that their policies are really going to hurt Māori, they set race relations, I think, back to the 1970s at the very least.
In a social media post, Labour leader Chris Hipkins said "modest" Davis had been a good friend and valuable colleague, a man of drive and conviction.
"While he has well and truly earned the right to head off with his head held high, he will be missed ... A talented educator, staunch advocate for Te Tai Tokerau, and passionate advocate for children, Kelvin has left his mark and NZ is a better place for it."
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Davis should be proud of his work at Parliament, despite their differences.
"We may disagree politically on how to take the country forward, but I generally think people come to Parliament with good intentions.
"His is a great Parliamentary career and a great political career he should be incredibly proud of."
'Just didn't want to be this bitter, angry person'
Davis is moving to a new consulting role with indigenous peoples in Australia. He said it was time for him to start thinking about himself.
"There's little you can do from opposition other than get angry and frustrated and, you know, I need to start thinking about my myself - my family and my grand daughter, now - and look at opportunities to be able to be a father and husband and a grandfather.
"I just didn't want to be this bitter, angry person. And once I leave here I'll just, I'll walk out the door - and it's the people who are left here to the job, to fight the good fight."
Kelvin Davis in November confirming he would stay on in the party, but Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
He laid down a challenge to the new government and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, saying they needed to properly engage with Māori - particularly at Waitangi - but he was not hopeful that would happen.
"What they're doing at the moment is making these decisions, that really impact on Māori, from the sanctity of their echo chambers ... they need to actually make these decisions and justify them to the people but to be honest I don't think this coalition government has it in them to actually front the people and be on the ground for four or five days like we were.
"If we can do it, if Jacinda could and Chippie (Chris Hipkins) could do it, then Chris Luxon should.
Christopher Luxon at Waitangi in February. While there, he described the treaty as a "little experiment". Photo: RNZ / Ella Stewart
"He should be there to front the iwi chairs forum, I think, on the Friday before Waitangi Day. He should be there for the pōwhiri. His ministers should be down there at the forum tents, they should be talking about their policies ... they should be there on Waitangi Day itself - at the dawn service, the karakia, and they should be also feeding the people like we did.
"They won't be popular, they will be challenged, but they still need to do it."
He reflected on the changes made in that space in his time in government, saying he expected the lack of protest at the event across the six years of the Labour government was likely to change.
"I say to all the parties: we are not what's important. Te Tiriti is what is important. For two hours of the year, let's just put aside our differences and be adults and go on, and the purpose of the pōwhiri is just to say 'welcome to Waitangi, now go out and meet the people'. It's not Waitangi Day itself.
"Our government would spend four or five days up in the north engaging with people on the ground ... but also ministers spending a lot of time across that Te Tii marae and the forum tents talking about our policies and engaging with Māori at that level.
"And that to be honest, was the greatest thing that we've done at Waitangi, was just to humble ourselves as ministers, as the prime minister and engage face to face with the people - just handing out bacon, eggs, sausages and things like that."
Labour's Māori caucus reflects on losing Davis, looks to future
Labour's Carmel Sepuloni took over from Davis as deputy leader after the election this year, and said his calm leadership style would be missed.
"He is someone that is absolutely trusted by all his caucus colleagues, someone that people could go to for advice on a range of things but particularly with respect to anything to do with te ao Māori.
Carmel Sepuloni being announced as Davis' successor to the role of Deputy Labour Leader in November. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
"He was always forthcoming and helpful with that advice. So I guess that calmness, that staunchness that Kelvin has is going to be missed."
She said he was not the kind of person to tell others what they should do or how, but tended to take action himself rather than talking.
"He just makes a decision: Man of very little words, and then just goes and does it and doesn't feel like he needs to give an explanation. And actually with passing on the deputy leadership, same thing - 'oh, I'm going to stand down, you may as well do it, you'll be good. Good luck'."
Labour's Peeni Henare told Morning Report he was sad to see his colleague go.
"[He's] somebody who's been a consistent feature of my entire political career, nine years in Parliament.
"He's been a strong leader for the Māori caucus in particular. And if I think of the times with Prime Minister Ardern, Kelvin was the perfect offsider for her because he provided the kind of stability within the party and was a great representative for our country."
Peeni Henare Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Reflecting on Labour's loss of most of the Māori seats, Henare said it was a "hugely disappointing election".
"It was clear our people wanted change. I do think that there was quite a, an impressive strategy employed by the Māori Party that really mobilized the vote for Māoridom but that doesn't detract from the fact that ... Kelvin did a great job in his service and made clear that without the mandate, he chooses not to continue."
Davis said setting his official resignation date as Waitangi Day was poignant.
"I want to be there to be thankful to the people to Te Tai Tokerau but also because of the work that we did to make Waitangi Day a real commemoration of Te Tiriti and put Te Tiriti as the real focus of our commemorations."
He seemed positive about the Māori caucus' future leadership, pointing specifically to Willow-Jean Prime, Arena Williams and Peeni Henare.
Willow Jean Prime being sworn into Cabinet in February Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
"Now Willow is the highest-ranked Māori woman [in the caucus] and she's got all the skills, the attributes, the qualities to step up and lead alongside Willie [Jackson] and the rest ... I think you've seen Arena in the last few days in the House really just go hard in urgency, she's a real talent ... Peeni, he's just the most gifted orator, he's dignified, he's gonna go a long way as well."
He said he would have more to say in his valedictory speech and at Waitangi before his departure.
"It's not about me, it's about te Tiriti and it's about just saying thank you to te Tai Tokerau and the people up there for the support that that they gave me over - well, since 2008."
He will be replaced by the next person on Labour's list, Tracey McLellan.
