The Maori Party candidate for Te Tai Tonga, Rahui Katene, says one of her top priorities is making sure all Maori communities in her electorate come on board with Whanau Ora.
Mrs Katene launched her campaign in Wellington on Tuesday night at the Kohanga Reo National Trust office. It was attended by her fellow party members and more than 100 supporters.
She says she is confident of retaining her seat because phone surveys are telling her she leads all the other candidates contesting her southern Maori electorate.
Ms Katene says the main issue for her is getting wider participation with Whanau Ora, which was set up to look for Maori solutions to Maori problems, and to give those communities a sense of self-belief.
She says she wants to roll Whanau Ora out across the whole electorate, get all the relevant agencies involved, and move away from the current deprivation model into one that will empower the people.
The Te Tai Tonga MP also launched her Cultural Competency Policy, which requires all government departments and agencies to learn more about Maori culture and etiquette.
Mrs Katene also believes her electorate can champion her campaign to eliminate child poverty - one of her top three priorities.
She says the Maori Party is also working with Ngai Tahu to help put their stamp on the new face of Christchurch.
Mrs Katene won the seat with a majority of 1049 votes at the last election, with Labour second.
Labour's candidate for Te Tai Tonga in the 26 November election is Rino Tirikatene.
