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Haumi Ē! Preparing Our Communities for Election 2026
- Tapasā
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
What if voting wasn't seen as a political act, but as an act of service to our families, villages, and communities?
This was one of the many reflections we carried home from Haumi Ē! Together for the Vote, where Tapasā team members Kayla Schwalger and Sisifa Lui, alongside Atafa o le Moana rangatahi leader Matelita Elisaia, joined organisers, advocates, and community leaders from across Aotearoa to explore how we can strengthen participation in Election 2026.
Over two days at the Haumi Ē! Hui, hosted by ActionStation, we were reminded that increasing voter participation is about much more than politics. It is about relationships, trust, community leadership, and creating pathways for people to see themselves reflected within the systems that shape their lives.
While there were many insights shared throughout the hui, several key learnings stood out for us as Pacific community organisers and youth advocates.
Systems Change Starts at the Root
One of the most powerful discussions centred around New Zealand's constitution and the role it plays in shaping our systems.
Aotearoa is one of only a few countries in the world without a single written constitution. We heard about the work of Matike Mai Aotearoa, which imagines what transformational systems change could look like if constitutional arrangements were redesigned through Te Tiriti and Indigenous values.
The conversation challenged us to think beyond short-term political cycles and consider the foundations of the systems we operate within. What would it look like to have a constitution grounded in connection to whenua, community-led solutions, belonging, and accountability? What would it mean for political power to be held responsible to the people and values it serves?
For us, this was a reminder that lasting change requires us to look beyond individual policies and ask deeper questions about the systems themselves.
Preparing Our Communities to Enrol
One statistic that stayed with us was that approximately 48% of Māori rangatahi aged 18–19 could be affected by recent changes that remove the ability to enrol on voting day.
This means preparation matters more than ever.
If young people are not enrolled before election day, many may miss the opportunity to participate altogether. As Pacific people, we know the power of collective responsibility and community action. We reflected on how voting can be framed not simply as an individual act, but as a form of service to our families, villages, and future generations.
The village moves communities.
If we want to see greater participation from Pacific young people, we need to start early, have conversations now, and support one another through the enrolment process long before election day arrives.
Relationships Move People Throughout the hui, one message was repeated again and again: relationships matter.
Trust is one of the most powerful tools we have when mobilising communities.
People are more likely to engage when information comes from trusted faces, trusted spaces, and trusted relationships. While digital tools have an important role to play, real-world conversations remain one of the most effective ways to encourage participation.
We learned about the importance of helping people develop a voting plan:
Where will you vote?
When will you vote?
How will you get there?
Simple questions like these significantly increase the likelihood that people follow through and participate.
We also reflected on the importance of connecting political issues to the realities people experience every day. Communities engage when they understand how policies affect the things they care about most — whether that is housing, education, employment, health, culture, or the wellbeing of future generations.
Storytelling Creates Movements
Another highlight was hearing from the team behind Toitū Te Tiriti and rangatahi advocate Nate Wilbourne about how social media can support community organising and movement building.
Their message was simple: tell the story, show the people, share the kaupapa.
Movements grow when people can see themselves reflected within them.
Rather than focusing only on problems, they encouraged organisers to share stories of hope, collective action, and positive change. The more people see communities taking action, the more they begin to believe that their own participation matters too.
As storytellers ourselves, this resonated deeply.
Whether through photography, video, writing, or digital platforms, storytelling has the power to connect people to a kaupapa and inspire them to become part of something larger than themselves.
Trusted Faces, Trusted Places
Perhaps the strongest lesson we took away from Haumi Ē was that meaningful participation cannot be imposed from the outside.
Community-led approaches work because they are built on trust.
People engage when they see familiar faces leading the conversation. They participate when initiatives happen in places they already know and feel connected to. They show up when they feel ownership over the process.
Real change happens when communities are given the space, time, and support to lead solutions for themselves.
And importantly, we were reminded to celebrate.
Celebrate when someone enrols.Celebrate when someone votes.Celebrate the collective effort that goes into strengthening our democracy.
When voting is framed as protecting our aiga, our village, and our future generations, participation becomes more than a civic duty. It becomes an act of collective care.
Looking Ahead
As we move closer to Election 2026, these learnings will continue to shape how we engage with Pacific young people and communities.
At Tapasā, we believe young people have an important role to play in shaping the future of Aotearoa. Our challenge now is to ensure they have the information, confidence, relationships, and support needed to participate.
Haumi Ē reminded us that people power is real.
When communities organise, when relationships are prioritised, and when people feel connected to a shared purpose, meaningful change becomes possible.
Make sure you get out there and enrol to VOTE!
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