In politics, insults can sometimes become a selling point. This is the lesson being taught by Tania Waikato, a rising star in the New Zealand Green Party. Recently labeled the “chief witch hunter” by Hobson’s Pledge—a group known for its critical stance towards the rights granted by the Treaty of Waitangi—the former lawyer decided to embrace the title.
Rather than launching a legal battle or issuing a statement of outrage, Tania Waikato launched a line of t-shirts and caps bearing this nickname. Objective: to turn the defamation attempt into a fundraising tool for her 2026 election campaign.
The source of the discord: the Treaty of Waitangi.
The Hobson’s Pledge group criticizes the candidate for creating the Rārangi Rangatira list, a census of schools committed to continuing to apply the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi (the founding act of the nation between the Crown and the Māori).
For Waikato, the attack fell flat. “Given the extreme, even defamatory, scope of these publications, I laughed when I heard about them,” she says, adding that she received the news while paragliding. For her, the calculation is simple: “We’re going to counter their attempt at dissuasion (…) and raise funds from it. It’s a win-win situation.”
“Humor versus ‘colonialist ideology’”
Hobson’s Pledge’s attack also relied on a humorous video in which the candidate, lip-syncing to Madonna, joked about the difficulty of not “hitting” David Seymour (leader of the ACT party and a prominent figure on the right).
While conservatives tried to portray it as incitement to violence, Tania Waikato denounced it as a blatant manipulation. “It was clearly a joke. They’re just trying to trot out this tired old colonialist ideology that portrays Maori as savages,” she retorted.
Hobson’s Pledge’s post on Tania Waikato, labelling her a “Witch-Hunter General”.
Massive support on social media
The maneuver seems to be paying off. On social media, her supporters immediately ridiculed Hobson’s Pledge’s methods, referencing their recent advertising failures. By appropriating the tropes of “cancel culture” to her advantage, Tania Waikato not only secures a campaign budget but also reinforces her image as a fearless candidate, ready to break with traditional Westminster norms to defend her convictions. Just a few months before the 2026 election, the Green Party’s “witch hunter” seems to have already won the image battle.
The number: 2026.
The year of the next parliamentary elections in New Zealand, for which Tania Waikato has already begun selling her “collector’s” merchandise.
