Member of Parliament
| Parliament of New Zealand | ||||
| Years | Term | Electorate | List | Party |
| 2005–2008 | 48th | Tamaki Makaurau | 2 | Māori |
| 2008–2011 | 49th | Tāmaki Makaurau | 2 | Māori |
| 2011 – present | 50th | Tāmaki Makaurau | 8 | Māori |
In addition to his academic work, Sharples has long advocated a separate Māori political party. After the foreshore and seabed controversy flared in 2003–2004, Sharples joined forces with Tariana Turia, a minister in the Labour Party government who resigned over the issue. Turia and Sharples began to organise a new party based around Turia's Te Tai Hauāuru seat. This eventually became launched on 7 July 2004 as the Māori Party, of which Sharples became co-leader.
In the general election of September 2005, Sharples contested and won the seat of Tamaki Makaurau, the Māori electorate covering urban Auckland, displacing former Labour MP John Tamihere.
Read more about this topic: Pita Sharples
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