The Electoral Commission has confirmed Te Pāti Māori is not under investigation around voting at Manurewa Marae in Auckland
Chief Electoral Officer, Karl Le Quesne has advised Te Pāti Māori by text: “We have not had any complaints about Te Pāti Māori in relation to the marae.”
The Electoral Commission has itself been under scrutiny for voting errors in last month’s general election.
Data entry errors were found at three voting places in relation to party vote results. More errors were found at an additional 15 voting locations for candidate results.
In a press release on Thursday, the commission apologised for its errors and is undertaking an independent quality review.
But the commission also disclosed to Whakaata Māori that it had received complaints about its use of Manurewa Marae as a voting place, and its activities.
The marae offered cups of tea and free health checks to voters after they had cast their ballots.
The Manurewa Marae chief executive was Te Pāti Māori candidate Takutai Moana Kemp, who secured victory over Labour’s Peeni Henare in one of the closest election races – winning the Māori seat of Tāmaki Makaurau by just four votes.