The PM Didn’t Show Up

How not to do leadership.

There are moments in public life when a leader is called not to speak, but simply to show up. To stand quietly, humbly, in the presence of grief, honour and legacy.

This week, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon failed that very basic test of decency.

By choosing not to attend the tangi of Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp, a sitting Member of Parliament, a community stalwart and a rising force in kaupapa Māori politics, Luxon didn’t just miss a funeral. He missed an opportunity to act like the leader of all New Zealanders and people noticed.

Yes, ministers were dispatched. Faces from the Government’s Māori bench were sent in his place, no doubt instructed to carry condolences and look suitably sombre. But let’s not pretend this wasn’t a deliberate decision. The Prime Minister chose not to go. And whether he admits it or not, that choice carries weight.

Let’s be very clear, this was no ordinary political death. Kemp’s sudden passing stunned communities across Aotearoa. She had barely begun her Parliamentary journey, but in that short time, she demonstrated a kind of grounded, passionate leadership that made her stand out. She brought aroha to power, not as branding, but as a lived truth.

The tangi at Ōpaea Marae wasn’t just a farewell, it was a deeply cultural and political moment. A point of significance for many who already feel this Government is deaf to Māori concerns.

In choosing not to attend, Luxon sent a message. Not the one he’ll repeat behind a podium, full of platitudes and polished sympathy, but the one that matters - you were not important enough to rearrange my schedule.

Imagine, just for a moment, if a sitting National MP had passed. Would the Prime Minister have cited “prior commitments”? Or would we have seen the full machinery of state roll out to honour one of their own?

Takutai Kemp wasn’t one of his and that, perhaps, was the problem.

But that’s not how leadership works. You don’t only show up for your allies. You show up for your adversaries too, especially when they’ve earned respect, especially when they’ve served the people.

Decency is not partisan. It’s not optional.

The truth is, Māori have been told for generations that their grief is inconvenient. That their protocols are too hard, their expectations too much. What a shame, then, that in 2025, a sitting Prime Minister still couldn’t find his way to a marae to mourn one of our nation’s elected representatives.

To the Kemp whānau - you deserved better. Your mum, your sister, your kuia deserved better.

To the people who just write off everything about Te Pāti Māori because you find someone’s hat ridiculous or some actions in parliament unacceptable, I’d say this. Being an adult human is complicated. We attend funerals for people for many reasons, not always because we loved them. Often we do it out of respect, solidarity and tenderness towards their family and friends.

Sometimes we do it because we’ve never gotten on very well and this is the last chance to symbolically bury the hatchet. But what really matters – we go.

To the Prime Minister - your absence did not go unnoticed. In fact, it said far more than your presence ever could.

You didn’t show up. And that says everything.

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