Despite Marama Fox being vocal about her disappointment with Māori voters, the Co-Leader remains a staunch advocate for the Māori Party.
“So we got to plan for the next few years and we will be back in 2020 because this kaupapa is a real kaupapa.
It's not about this party or a vote for me or a vote for Te Ururoa Flavell. It's about a vote of faith for ourselves. And if we don't have faith in ourselves who do we have faith in.” says Fox.
Fox was defeated by incumbent candidate for Ikaroa-Rāwhiti, Labour Party’s Meka Whaitiri. Whaitiri led by a margin of 3,796 votes winning the seat with a total of 10,232 votes.
While Fox accepted her fate, Fox’s son and also Campaign Manager Jareth Fox had final words to give to his mum.
“I’m gutted, I’m absolutely gutted, but I do know that this is a time that mums a kind of person that won't go away. She's a cockroach like Winston. Mum, she knows how to make a difference and it doesn't matter whether she’s going to be in Parliament or out of Parliament she'll make a difference somewhere.” says Jareth.
In the end, the Māori Party received only 1.1 percent of votes, not enough for Fox to get back into parliament.
Marama Fox says “It’s a dark day for Māoridom not to have an independent voice in the house because now you are about to have a man, no matter which part rules whether it is red or blue this guy wants to get rid of the Treaty.”