Debbie Ngarewa-Packer is a New Zealand politician who has served as Co-leader of Te Pāti Māori and Member of Parliament for Te Tai Hauāuru [23][32].
Prior to entering Parliament, Ngarewa-Packer held a range of roles in the public and community sectors. According to a single reputable secondary source, she worked in various roles at Māori Affairs, TVNZ, and iwi radio [7][8][9]. She is also reported to have served as CEO of Te Reo Irirangi o Taranaki from 1999 [3] and later as Executive of the National Māori Radio Collective from 2002 [11]. She went on to serve as chief executive of the Ngāti Ruanui iwi [6], and according to a single reputable secondary source, she held the role of kaiarataki for Te Runanga o Ngāti Ruanui from 2010 [12]. Her educational background, according to a single reputable secondary source, includes study at Stanford University and the University of Tasmania [20][21].
Ngarewa-Packer also engaged in local government, with a single reputable secondary source reporting she was a member of South Taranaki District Council from 2008 [33] and served as Deputy Mayor of South Taranaki, with sources citing either 2007 or 2008 as the starting point [24][25]. According to a single reputable secondary source, she was a member of the Māori Economic Development Panel from 2012 [17], and sources indicate she served as a technical adviser to the Iwi Chairs Forum, though sources disagree on the valid period of that role [18].
Ngarewa-Packer entered Parliament in 2020 as a List MP for Te Pāti Māori, ranked fifth on the party list [29][30][35]. Sources differ on the precise nature of her Te Tai Hauāuru seat — some record her as a List MP [28][30], while others record her as Member of Parliament for Te Tai Hauāuru from either 2020 or 2023 [32]. She also served as parliamentary whip (Mataura) of the Māori Party from 2020, according to a single reputable secondary source [39]. She is confirmed as Co-leader of Te Pāti Māori [23], with a single reputable secondary source describing her specifically as Wāhine Co-Leader [36]. Her party affiliation with Te Pāti Māori is documented across multiple sources, with some also noting a 2023 reference point [41].
According to a single reputable secondary source, Ngarewa-Packer has been an advocate for environmental protection, poverty reduction, and equity for Māori communities [5]. She is also reported to have been appointed as a director of Ngāti Ruanui Holdings Corporation Limited from 2024 [19] and as a Trustee of Pariroa Pa Marae Trust from 2024 [14].