The Te Tai Hauauru by-election was a by-election in the New Zealand electorate of Te Tai Hauauru, one of the Maori seats. The date set for the by-election was 10 July, 2004. It saw the re-election of Tariana Turia, a former MP for the Labour Party and now co-leader of the Maori Party.

Turia had quit both Parliament and the Labour Party in protest over the government's position in the foreshore and seabed controversy. She contested the by-election as a member of the new Maori Party, which she is playing a leading role in establishing. None of the major parties contested the by-election, and Turia was always the overwhelming favourite to win. Perhaps due to the apparent inevitability of a win for Turia, only around 32% of Te Tai Hauauru voters cast ballots.

Nominations for the by-election closed on June 15, 2004. Candidates were:

• Tariana Turia (Maori Party)
• Peter Wakeman, a Labour Party member who stood as an independent.
• Dun Mihaka (Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party), a veteran Maori activist best known for baring his buttocks to the Queen on her 1983 Royal Tour of New Zealand.
• Tahu Nepia, who stood as an independent, but represented the Ratana movement, with the intent of establishing an Independent Ratana Party to contest the next general election.
• Rusty Kane, an independent who campaigned on the platform that Maori seats should be abolished.
• David Bolton, independent.

If no candidates had been put forward to oppose Turia, she would have been declared the winner without a vote - this initially appeared possible, and given the cost of a by-election (estimated at almost half a million NZ dollars), many hoped that a vote could be avoided.

The holding of a by-election was criticised by a number other parties. The Labour Party, which Turia was originally a member of (and which has traditionally dominated the Maori seats) has called the by-election "a waste of time and money", and a "sideshow". Labour has, however, stated that it will contest the seat in the next general election (scheduled for 2005).

Results

Candidate	Party	Votes	Percentage
Tariana Turia	Maori Party	7,256	92.74%
Dun Mihaka	Legalise Cannabis Party	197	2.52%
Tahu Nepia	Independent	183	2.24%
Peter Wakeman	Independent	80	1.02%
David Bolton	Independent	70	0.89%
Rusty Kane	Independent	38	0.49%