Meka Whaitiri, MP for Ikaroa-Rawhiti, is contesting the seat for the first time at a general election. She entered Parliament through a by-election in June last year, following the death of her predecessor Parekura Horomia.

I've been an MP since the 1996 election, first for Te Tai Hauauru and then for Tainui, which became Hauraki-Waikato after boundary changes. I'm seeing a real energy around Labour among Māori. The talent pool that Labour is fielding in both in the Māori and general electorates is having an effect.

We finished Maori Language Week with a bang. On Saturday, Labour’s Maori candidates spent a stunning day with friends and whanau at Te Manukanuka o Hoturoa Marae filming the first of our TV campaign ads.

For a while now we’ve been talking about launching a campaign blog. So here it is.

We’ll aim to cover the campaign from the inside - and shed a little light on our largest grassroots effort on record. Over the next eight weeks or so there’ll be no shortage of news to share - and, no doubt, a heap of people-powered stories.